Politics
Ultra-Orthodox rabbi's anti-Zionist remarks roil Israel election campaign
October 7, 2026 at 08:14 PM
Coverage
2 reports · 1 in Arabic, 1 in English · over 7 hours
Footage of Rabbi Dov Lando saying Jews might have been better off without a state has sparked a political storm weeks before Israel's October 27 election.
- Lando, 96, spiritual leader of the Degel HaTorah party, said soldiers adhering to Religious Zionism died because their rabbis taught them "a distorted Torah."
- He said Jews might have been better off without a state and that Arab or international rule would have been "the best situation."
- The remarks, first published in February 2025, were rebroadcast by Channel 12 on Monday.
- Opposition leader Naftali Bennett called the remarks "anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist and anti-[Israeli military]," targeting Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.