Netanyahu Condemns Rabbi Lando's Attack on Religious Zionists Only After Political Threats

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a rare condemnation of Rabbi Dov Lando's harsh remarks against the Religious Zionist community, specifically rejecting Lando's labeling of their IDF fighters as "murderers." Netanyahu's statement came only after the rabbi's comments risked fueling global antisemitism. However, this is not the first time Rabbi Lando has attacked the Religious Zionist sector, previously blaming their rabbis for teaching a distorted Torah that leads to soldiers' deaths.

Despite these repeated insults, Netanyahu remained silent for years, prioritizing the coalition's stability and relying on ultra-Orthodox parties' support to maintain his government. Over the past three years of conflict, the ultra-Orthodox community has largely avoided military service burdens while criticizing the soldiers who serve, with Netanyahu enabling this by passing laws favoring the ultra-Orthodox, such as the Basic Law on Torah Study, canceling arrests of draft dodgers, and funding ultra-Orthodox kindergartens.

Netanyahu's condemnation only surfaced after the Knesset dissolved, giving him a three-month respite from coalition pressures. At that point, he publicly defended the ultra-Orthodox sector against Lando's insults, despite the rabbi previously calling Netanyahu a liar and declaring the right-wing ultra-Orthodox bloc dead. Meanwhile, representatives of the Religious Zionist sector, including Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, have remained silent on Lando's attacks, seemingly prioritizing political alliances over their community's honor and values.

This episode highlights Netanyahu's political calculations, showing he only sets boundaries with ultra-Orthodox leaders when it no longer threatens his political standing, while the Religious Zionist community's leaders refrain from confronting the rabbi's derogatory statements.