JERUSALEM: An Israeli rabbi was fiercely criticized Wednesday for saying women who join the army come back as “non-Jews,” in a controversy that coincided with International Women’s Day.
Ultra-conservative rabbi Yigal Levinstein, who heads a pre-military academy in the Eli settlement in the occupied West Bank, said in a lecture that women enter the army as Jews and come out non-Jews.
“Who will marry them?” he asked.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman condemned the comments and urged Levinstein to consider his position.
“Since the establishment of the state (of Israel), women have served in the army and have greatly contributed to the security of the country,” said Lieberman.
“Rabbi Levinstein’s statements are not only an insult to Israelis, but also to the Israeli army, its heritage and all the fundamental values of the state of Israel,” he said.
Lieberman said he would “reconsider” the rabbi’s role in preparing young men for military service.
Military service is compulsory for both men and women in Israel, though ultra-Orthodox Jews, who make up about 10 percent of the country’s eight million citizens, are among those exempt.
Military officials have been seeking to encourage the ultra-Orthodox to enlist.
A military spokesman said 2,200 women from religious backgrounds currently serve in the army, up from 937 in 2010.
The Israeli army infantry has four mixed battalions, he added.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an indirect reference to the controversy on Wednesday, telling a parliamentary committee women played an “important role in defending the country’s security,” Israeli media reported.
A fringe of ultra-conservative rabbis, members of the religious nationalist movement, hold a traditional view of the role of women, arguing they should be primarily concerned with caring for children and the home.
They also believe women should respect Jewish conventions which demand they dress modestly — skirts or long robes and long sleeves — and behave with deference toward men.
Levinstein was banned in 2016 from giving lectures on army bases after calling homosexuals “perverts.”
Israeli rabbi: women joining army become ‘non-Jews’
Israeli rabbi: women joining army become ‘non-Jews’
UN, aid groups warn Gaza operations at risk from Israel impediments
- Dozens of international aid groups face de-registration by December 31, which then means they have to close operations within 60 days
UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations and aid groups warned on Wednesday that humanitarian operations in the Palestinian territories, particularly Gaza, were at risk of collapse if Israel does not lift impediments that include a “vague, arbitrary, and highly politicized” registration process.
Dozens of international aid groups face de-registration by December 31, which then means they have to close operations within 60 days, said the UN and more than 200 local and international aid groups in a joint statement.
“The deregistration of INGOs (international aid groups) in Gaza will have a catastrophic impact on access to essential and basic services,” the statement read.
“INGOs run or support the majority of field hospitals, primary health care centers, emergency shelter responses, water and sanitation services, nutrition stabilization centers for children with acute malnutrition, and critical mine action activities,” it said.
SUPPLIES LEFT OUT OF REACH: GROUPS
While some international aid groups have been registered under the system that was introduced in March, “the ongoing re-registration process and other arbitrary hindrances to humanitarian operations have left millions of dollars’ worth of essential supplies — including food, medical items, hygiene materials, and shelter assistance — stuck outside of Gaza and unable to reach people in need,” the statement read.
Israel’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the statement. Under the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, a fragile ceasefire in the two-year-old war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas began on October 10. Hamas released hostages, Israel freed detained Palestinians and more aid began flowing into the enclave where a global hunger monitor said in August famine had taken hold.
However, Hamas says fewer aid trucks are entering Gaza than was agreed. Aid agencies say there is far less aid than required, and that Israel is blocking many necessary items from coming in. Israel denies that and says it is abiding by its obligations under the truce.
“The UN will not be able to compensate for the collapse of INGOs’ operations if they are de-registered, and the humanitarian response cannot be replaced by alternative actors operating outside established humanitarian principles,” the statement by the UN and aid groups said.
The statement stressed “humanitarian access is not optional, conditional or political,” adding: “Lifesaving assistance must be allowed to reach Palestinians without further delay.”
