Ultra-Orthodox rabbi’s anti-Zionist remarks stir Israel election row

What the report says

Comments by Rabbi Dov Lando, a 96-year-old senior ultra-Orthodox leader in Israel, have reignited debate over Zionism, military conscription and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ties to ultra-Orthodox parties. In footage aired by Channel 12 and discussed by Al Jazeera, Lando argued that Jews may have been better off without a state and said soldiers linked to “Religious Zionism” had died because of what their rabbis taught them. The remarks were made at a closed meeting in Bnei Brak and have resurfaced as Israel heads toward an October 27 parliamentary election.

Al Jazeera reported that the controversy comes amid a broader dispute over the draft exemptions long sought by ultra-Orthodox seminary students. Israel’s Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that there was no legal basis for those exemptions, but the government has not passed replacement legislation. That issue has become one of the sharpest political divides in the campaign, especially because ultra-Orthodox parties have been key allies for Netanyahu’s coalition prospects.

Lando leads the Degel HaTorah faction, part of the United Torah Judaism alliance, which previously held seven seats in the 2022 election. Opposition figures quickly used the footage to attack Netanyahu and his partners, while Netanyahu has not publicly responded to the latest comments. The row highlights a deeper split inside the Israeli right between religious Zionists who serve in the military and ultra-Orthodox leaders who reject conscription.

As Al Jazeera noted, the episode matters because it tests the balance Netanyahu needs between voters who support the army draft and parties he may need to form a government. Analysts cited by the outlet said the remarks are unlikely to shift many votes, but could sharpen resentment among right-wing Israelis who serve in the military and object to continued exemptions.