Religious Zionist Rabbis Call to Defy High Court Rulings That Contradict Halacha

A group of prominent religious Zionist rabbis published an unusually sharp statement against the High Court of Justice, calling for noncompliance with rulings they say contradict halacha and exceed the court’s authority.

The statement was issued after what participants described as an emergency meeting at the home of Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, president of the Torat Ha’aretz Hatova organization. Among the signatories were Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and Rabbi Yaakov Shapira.

The rabbis accused the court of overstepping its role by intervening in matters of security, halacha, social policy and the basic management of the state.

“The court’s intervention in matters of security, halacha, society and the administration of state affairs constitutes an excess of authority and damage to the status quo,” the statement said.

The rabbis argued that some High Court rulings have practical consequences on the battlefield, warning that they could endanger soldiers, harm public life and deepen internal conflict inside Israel.

“These rulings endanger the lives of fighters, harm the public fabric of Israeli citizens and create internal confrontation that constitutes a grave national danger,” they wrote.

A central part of the statement focused on the status of the Chief Rabbinate. The rabbis gave full backing to the rabbinate as the supreme halachic authority recognized by law and by the public, and argued that the judiciary has no authority to intervene in its decisions.

They further stated that there is a halachic prohibition on obeying court rulings that contradict the Chief Rabbinate’s instructions.

The rabbis also addressed the integration of women into combat roles, particularly in armored units, calling mixed male-female service in tanks a severe Torah prohibition.

They argued that such integration is comparable in seriousness to issues of Shabbat and kashrut, and said it would harm soldiers’ operational fitness. They warned that the policy could prevent thousands of religious and traditional soldiers from serving meaningfully and would damage the IDF.

Former religious services minister Matan Kahana condemned the rabbis’ statement, saying that calling for disobedience to High Court rulings is equivalent to encouraging refusal.

“Both this and that dismantle the most basic foundations we have as a society,” Kahana said.

The statement comes amid wider tensions over the court’s role, religion and state, women’s service in the IDF and the integration of Haredi soldiers. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir recently said all parts of society must share the burden of service, while stressing that women are an inseparable part of the IDF and its operational strength.

“There will be no exclusion of women in the IDF,” Zamir said. “Their integration is values-based, equal and an operational necessity.”