Ben-Gvir vs the rabbis: Commentator shares Orthodox perspective on Israeli issues

Amid the uproar surrounding the softened 'Rabbis Law', proposed by the Shas party and blocked by the Otzma Yehudit party's MK Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel Cohen, political commentator on Radio Kol BaRama, spoke on 103FM radio about the significance of the matter from the ultra-Orthodox perspective.

Cohen began by saying, "Yesterday, another event occurred that showed the ultra-Orthodox parties that Netanyahu does not control his coalition.

"In the end, as the Talmud says, when there are many questions – it is better to answer all of them with one excuse rather than make seven excuses for seven questions."

Cohen also commented on current political events related to the ongoing hostage deal negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Cohen explained, "I think the ultra-Orthodox parties should have set an ultimatum on the hostage issue. They need to bring the hostages home tomorrow. All the great rabbis support this, and it would have been accepted, but Ben-Gvir would have toppled it."

Concerning the haredi draft law, he explained, "I estimate that eventually, the draft law will be the big story in the news. Once they start actually sending out draft orders or enforcing the budget cuts. Suddenly, yeshivas will face a huge hurdle."

Regarding the government's disintegration, Cohen estimated that it would come by wintertime and commented, "It doesn't have to be in the next week or two. Maybe Netanyahu will overcome this crisis. Ben-Gvir is not blinking.

"They say Netanyahu fears leaks of information on him. Ben-Gvir says Deri has put a veto on him and that Deri does not want him in the war cabinet because of his ideology. If he brings a more extreme approach, it's not certain that the ultra-Orthodox should agree to it. But the question is, if they give him the cabinet today, what will be tomorrow? Since Gantz and Eisenkot resigned, Netanyahu doesn't have a cabinet anyway," Cohen concluded.