Rabbi Gedalia Axelrod issued a handwritten halachic ruling arguing that Jewish politicians cooperating with Arab parties fall under the principle of din rodef.
The former head of the Haifa Rabbinical Court distributed the letter stating that collaboration with Arab political factions poses a terrible danger to the people of Israel in the Holy Land and around the world, as reported by Haaretz on November 12, 2026.
The term “din rodef” refers to a pursuer in Jewish law and permits using lethal force to save a person facing mortal danger, a principle previously invoked by Yigal Amir to justify the 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
The document’s contents specifically focused on Jewish leaders who either bring Arab factions into a national ruling coalition or rely upon their external parliamentary backing.
Chabad Movement Distances Itself
The Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement in Israel quickly distanced itself from the ruling. Rabbi Shimi Segal, the movement’s spokesman in Israel, said that official religious rulings are determined exclusively by the movement’s rabbinical court rather than individual rabbis.
“Rabbi Axelrod is not a member of this court and does not fill a function in the leadership of Chabad. His words and letters reflect his own personal opinion,” said Rabbi Shimi Segal, the movement’s spokesman in Israel.
When questioned by VINnews regarding the letter, Axelrod defended his position in an interview with Walla, stating that he acted on his own initiative and without regret.
“The Torah obliges me; I knew it was not easy, but if the Torah obliges, then we go, we are Jews, we make sacrifices,” said Gedalia Axelrod.
When asked during the interview whether his ruling might provoke hatred, the 85-year-old replied that the Torah determines his actions. Addressing the reality that many other Jews view the Torah differently, he maintained that disagreements exist even within the Gemara and everyday life.
Calls for Criminal Investigation
The ruling drew immediate condemnation from security veterans and political figures. A group of former heads of Israel’s security services and military sent a formal letter to Assistant-Chief Boaz Balet, head of the Israel Police Investigations and Intelligence Division, urging authorities to summon the rabbi for questioning and warning that inaction could lead to another political assassination.
Following the circulation of the text, MK Michal Rozin from the left-wing “Democrats” party publicly called for an immediate criminal investigation. Rozin accused Axelrod of criminal incitement to violence and racism via a statement published on X, cautioning that similar language preceded the murder of Yitzhak Rabin.
This position aligns with statements from Democrats chairman Yair Golan, who has advocated for forming government coalitions alongside Arab parties and ending what he terms a racist separation between Jewish and Arab electoral votes.
In addition to the parliamentary appeals, the Center for Victims of Racism lodged an urgent complaint with the Israel Police, the Attorney General, and the State Attorney’s Office. The organization demanded a formal inquiry into potential offenses including incitement to violence, solicitation of murder, and incitement to racism.
Separately, MK Ofer Cassif wrote to State Prosecutor Amit Isman to demand a criminal investigation, pointing to the delicate political climate following the recent election, as reported by Anash.
“We are right now in a very sensitive period of leadership change following the election,” said Ofer Cassif.
The push for legal proceedings against Axelrod also generated pushback from civil rights advocates. Shai Glick, director of the Israeli civil rights organization B’Tsalmo, criticized left-wing politicians and organizations for attempting to silence rabbinic figures through threats of criminal prosecution.
Asserting that the parliamentary term had barely started before silencing efforts began, Glick urged prosecutors to dismiss the complaint and protect the right of rabbis and public figures to express their religious and halachic views.
Arab Factions Influence Ongoing Government Formation Talks
The controversy surrounding the halachic letter coincides with ongoing national government formation talks following parliamentary elections. With both the Joint List and Ra’am endorsing Eisenkot for the upcoming premiership, the matter of Arab faction involvement has taken center stage in current Israeli political discussions. Ra’am previously joined the 2021-2022 government of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.
