Eliezer Melamed Criticizes Netanyahu’s ‘Inflated Ego’
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is accustomed to mockery from the left for his conviction that Israel is on the brink of grave danger from Iran. But now he faces harsh words from one of the far right’s most renowned ideologues.
Eliezer Melamed, the very same rabbi who caused furor and state sanctions against his yeshiva for saying that troops told to evacuate settlements or outposts should disobey, has rattled off a stinging and very personal attack against Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
They have “inflated egos” and “one must fear that personal agenda motivates them to act against Iran,” he says in a new magazine article. Bizarrely echoing the left, he writes: “Israel’s predicament is not different than those faced by other countries… contrary to what Barak and Netanyahu say, Iran is not the greatest threat on Israel, it is one threat among many.” He criticized them for making empty threats to Iran.
Melamed is hugely influential. The article he just published could spur something Israel has never seen: a religious anti-war movement. Peace rallies on the hilltop settlements of the West Bank — now there’s a thought.
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
That’s why I’m paying it Forward, by matching $36,000 of reader gifts. It’s an investment in the Forward’s newsroom, to continue telling the American Jewish story with truth and independence.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
