Shortly after the creation of the state and the end of the 48 war Ben Gurion understood that the Palmach (and Etzel) must be fully integrated into the IDF if a modern state was to emerge. There can be only one source of military and police power and that source must be accountable to an elected government. The settlers or whatever you want to call them (Judeans?) are following the examples of the Iranian revolutionary guards, Hamas and Hezbollah by setting themselves up as a power independent of national law and yes consensus. Their organizational frameworks must be squashed before a violent civil war erupts.

I respect peoples religious/spiritual values and certainly feel more empathy with Jewish people who want a Jewish country, safe from its enemies- both within and without. Barak has only weakened Israel the past 10 years and anyone who cant see Hizbollah and hamas becoming major players and major arms beneficiaries- under his "watch"- is not operating with a full deck of cards. Then again most extreme leftists arent with said full deck..

I cannot imagine an ISRAELI soldier hurting civilians in the name of the politicians. What it means freezing settlements for ten month; itś mean that someone is playing with his citizens life and future nothing more nothing less and for what to make happy EU,USA and UK fantastic. I always tough that our soldier are existing to fight enemies not friends families brothers and sisters

Did you send your spoiled kids to serve in IDF or you support the disintegration of our army without even knowing anything about it?

there are innumerable spoiled american kids in the IDF. I am an american married to an israeli with close family in both coutries, we travel back and forth. i have found that religious american jews often know more about israel than israelis. i myself spoke with an israeli doctor about the problem of israeli arabs. he told me it was not a problem because it was too insignificant a number. i asked him what percentage of israel was arab. he said 10%. how can you make an argument about demographics when you don't even know that 20% of israel is arab??

This Rabbi Melamed is certainly very liberal with his use of "blood libel." He can call it libel if he wants, but we all know it can't be libel if it's true. Also, he says that to attack him and his school is to attack the Torah. Most zealots think that way. "We can't be wrong; the Torah says so." Nonsense.

We cannot have one army for secular Israelis, one for religious Israelis, another for left wing Israelis and another for those right-wingers who don't like what the Government decides about the future of the "Territories"! Israel is 7,000,000 people NOT 300,000 Zealots in Judea and Samaria who put themselves before the State of Israel. There has never been more proof that the separation of religion and state is imperative. The Religious Right and the Ultra-Orthodox are putting there interests before anything else and are forcing Prime Minister Netanyahu do bow to their whims and demands. Netanyahu is weak and will capitulate. He has not shown any leadership since he form his circus of a government and he does not have the ability to make decisions. I am waiting for Barak to give in to the demands of the Religious Right at Netanyahu's insistence. If he does then he makes a fool of himself, his party and puts the State of Israel in the hands of the extremists.

An open letter by a student of Yeshivat Hesder Petach Tikva: http://michaelmakovi.blogspot.com/2009/12/being-jailed-for-idf-conscientious.html

To fight and sacrifice for the defense of the Jewish People is a noble cause and a great mitzvoh. However, the IDF is used to defend the political agenda of those leading the IDF, and not necessarily to defend the Jewish People. By joining the IDF, one obligates himself to follow orders given by people with very different values than Torah observant people, not to mention, that the people at the top giving the orders are not known for being righteous and selfless, but rather the opposite. Therefore it should be obvious that joining the IDF entails following orders contrary to the Torah. The fine rabbis want their students to defend their People, but they are confused into thinking that entails joining the IDF. It's time to wake up to reality

500,000 Jews ( one great grandparent) were sent to Auschwitz to die in 6 weeks, while Eichmanns offer of 1m for 10,000 trucks was being debated. Now understand this you Israelis, every Jew, from the most religious (observant) to the least observant) is targeted by Hamas/ Hez/Syria, Fatah/Islamic jIhad and Iran. No Jew will escape the rockets..once launched. Yet you debate whether a rabbi can circumvent the elected govt. Let this traitor rabbi run for office, for P.M. if he so chooses., not encourage, anarchy, treason and sedition. The worst Hamas is better than this rabbi and his nonsensical teachings. He apparently has fogotten Chanukah and how Israel was created, and won each war,, not by disunity of rabble rousers who quote the bible. Send him to Monsey, where he will be a hero, among the Satmar.

Please don't require the very soldiers who are charged with protecting Israel, to take any part in evicting Jews or halting Jewish activity (building). It's bad for Israel and bad for the morale of the soldiers. Soldiers aren't robots. To be willing to lay down their very lives for Israel requires they care deeply about Israel and its people. This caring can be eroded if they are called to carry out politically motivated activities. Use other means, but please don't use the IDF. Using the IDF against Jews in Israel could cause a lot of harm to the IDF.

now it all comes out ...the blogger in number 9 "declares war" on the Jewish state and commentator number 10 tells us that Jewish civil law is incompatible with gods law... Zionism was never about a messianic halachic state. As Herzl, BG and Jabotinsky all preached it was about a modern secular state with a tolerant Jewish majority speaking the Hebrew language and celebrating the spirit and symbols our ancient traditions. If we will it....

It doesn't matter in the least whether you think the IDF should be evicting settlers or not. When someone incites soldier to insubordination YOU ARREST HIM!

ad hoc delusions are dangerous and melamud must show selfrestraints

Basically his comments amount to reason, and he should be sentenced in a court of law. This fanatic is encouraging anarchy within the army and he knows it. Obviously him and his type have no idea of how an army works. He should learn to keep his big mouth shut and mind his own bussiness.

This Rabbi wants the government money! His rhetoric uses the vilest language to blast Ehud Barak and the army. He tried to introduce right wing political doctrine into the army. Well he must decide, work with the army or take an independent position. Taking an independent position has a price, loss of government support. If he takes government money, he must find a different way to push his political agenda but he cannot use insubordination to do so. Hesder Yeshiva students make good soldiers, but then again they serve for ½ the time, are supported while studying and get full benefits when released from service. I think this system makes ordinary soldiers second class citizens

Good for you! Tell it like it is.