PM Netanyahu, opposition leaders condemn ‘shameful’ statements toward IDF Chief of Staff at Haredi protest

Israeli leaders across the political spectrum rebuked a haredi rabbi who cursed IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir during an anti-military draft protest in Bnei Brak on Monday, claiming the army "educates for the most severe offenses in the Torah." During the protest, Rabbi Aryeh Yazdi said, "The cursed chief of staff, may his name and memory be erased, sent a soldier to prison because he put a Messiah note."

Hundreds of Haredi men attended the rally, led by former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, with Shas MKs Yoav Ben-Tzur, Michael Malchieli and Yonatan Mashriki reportedly also present.

The remarks drew swift condemnation from across Israel's political spectrum. President Isaac Herzog wrote on X, "Even in times of deep discord, there is no place for curses, insults, or degrading language, certainly not when it comes to the supreme commander of the IDF and our soldiers, our sons and daughters."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also responded, saying, "I strongly condemn the shameful statements made towards the Chief of Staff last night in Bnei Brak. Even when there are differences of opinion among us, there is no place for serious inflammatory statements against the IDF and its commanders who protect us all."

In a rare moment of unity, the opposition leaders also condemned the statements, with Blue and White Party Chairman Benny Gantz writing on X, "The wild and dangerous incitement against the Chief of the General Staff is an attack on our heroic fighters and on the IDF as a whole. These are words that could end in bloodshed." Gantz linked the rhetoric to draft-exemption legislation, saying lawmakers who promote laws that encourage draft evasion should not be surprised when there is incitement against the IDF.

Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman called the incitement "a national disgrace and a direct result of the draft-dodger government," and said he was "still awaiting a sharp condemnation" from haredi party leaders, including MK Aryeh Deri.

Former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, arguably the most influential opposition voice, was more pointed in blaming Netanyahu directly. In a post on X, he said the statements were made "in the shameful presence of Netanyahu's coalition partners." He accused the prime minister of choosing silence while engaging in "cynical political maneuvering" to pass his draft law. "This low point is a direct product of the culture of hatred and division that Netanyahu has been dragging the country into for years," Eisenkot wrote.