TEL AVIV - A military coup in the coming years is possible if yarmulke-wearing soldiers were allowed to become the majority within the top IDF brass, warned Knesset Member (Labor) Danny Yatom, a major general in the reserves and a former Mossad boss.
The statement was made Friday at Tel Aviv’s Land of Israel Museum during a discussion about Tzvi Amit’s book “Code Blue,” which deals with a fictional coup.
When Yatom was asked if a coup was possible, he answered yes.
"Yarmulke-wearers are excellent soldiers, but the rabbis have a great influence over them, and they are ready to obey the rabbi before they obey their military commanders,” he said.
Rabbi Shapira, who had called on soldiers to refuse orders, should be tried in court, Yatom added.
Speaking to Ynet, Yatom elaborated: “A few years ago, I thought a scenario like this was completely delusional, but since then, we’ve seen …the de-legitimization of the government and Knesset and rabbis inciting revolt and conscientious objection and that, for many soldiers, the instructions of the rabbi are stronger than their orders.”
He added that there was now need for a public debate “in order to guarantee our democracy and not allow right-wing nationalist groups to carry out a coup. The judicial system needs to use an iron fist against inciters calling for conscientious objection in order to halt this phenomenon.”
Danny Rothschild: Never say never
President of the National Security Council, Danny Rothschild, participated in the same debate and told Ynet: “The whole debate centered on the book and its scenarios. My first response was that something like this could not happen in Israel, but I started to re-think the matter.”
“To say that it will never happen is not responsible. After I hear rabbis calling upon soldiers to desert the army, I fear what will happen when rabbis tell soldiers to take over the government,” Rothschild said.
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