Jerusalem – Former Mossad Chief Ephraim Halevy warned against an Israeli strike on Iran, saying that the results of a confrontation could be devastating for the Mideast.
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“The State of Israel cannot be destroyed,” he told Ynet on Friday. “An attack on Iran could affect not only Israel, but the entire region for 100 years.”
The former head of the Israeli secret service said Thursday during an army boarding school reunion that while Iran should be prevented from becoming a nuclear power, its capabilities are still “far from posing an existential threat to Israel.”
“The growing haredi radicalization poses a bigger risk than Ahmadinejad,” Halevy said, adding that “the ultra-Orthodox extremism has darkened our lives.”
Political-Security Cabinet member and Housing and Construction Minister Ariel Atias slammed Halevy for claiming that the “ultra-Orthodox radicalization” poses a bigger threat for Israel than a nuclear Iran.
“Halevy’s statements are shocking and inciting and they divide the people of Israel at a time when it needs unity more than ever,” Atias said, urging the former Israeli intelligence head to apologize.
at least shready, PMOin fla, yossi, bubba etc have a chasid for thier shita
Shame on you!!! If you dont like the orthodox people get out of israel…
He could have found a more politically correct way of stating the reality that they must radically change thier lifestyles and educate their children to be able to earn a parnassah and make some contribution to the Israeli economy.
i agree with him….charaidim need to be more responsible and contribute….
It’s time to put him in the old age home together with Helen Thomas!
Of course the chareidim are more of a treat to Israel because its questions the very reason behind the pioneers who created Israel’s ultimate goal was to Assimilate the Jewish people which clearly failed.
i love it when chareidim get offended every time anyone says any thing insulting, like little kids..lol
Signs of Alzheimer’s?.?
perhaps he is referring to that group who befriends the arab leaders, kisses them and brings them gifts etc.
Sure. We all need to be pinheads like him.
There is one LARGE guily conscience making this guy talk.
What a pity that more effort was put into being anti-medina than into showing the irreligious how to be menschen ‘it’s ways are beautiful’.
Both the Haredim and Iran have the same objective: the destruction of the secular political State of Israel
Did he say the same when Begin took out Iraqis reactor?
As one of the posters said, he belongs in an old age home. But his hatred to a frum jew will stay forever. Walk into any old-age home, you’ll find people that have long forgotten almost everything in life, but the hatred to jews.
Well, let’s seperate between Torah observance and chareidism…
Chareidism is an ever changing movement that has no real leadership or tradition or direction, and, due to the reactionism from haskalah, the reformation, western consumerism and zionism, et alii, there has been a divergence from rationalism, which in turn brings radicalism. I believe that it is possible to fit in with the yeshivishe world without becoming chareidi. true bnei torah don’t act in a way that alienates other jews, regardless of their outlook on any one thing.
Anyone who really is choreid bdvar Hashem is soveil everyone with a panim yafes and speaks bderech nachas even to a goy. Darcheha darchei noam. The Gemara (Mnachos 48?) says that a shiksa a zonah came to the beis medrash to convert. the rav knew her eyes were on a boy and he said “biti, my daughter, I fear that you may have your eyes on a boy in yeshiva”…even though she was a prostitute! That’s the true path of Toras Moshe
he old, let the old guy say what he wants. he still hasn’t learned anything in all his years. Just respect him, don’t argue, it’s not worth it.
baruch hashem, if an ex-mossad chief says there is no iran threat, then we can sleep safely at night 🙂
It’s his personal opininon but he obviously feels that way, and so do many Israeli’s. It’s a reaction to the Charedi radicalization and their attempts to control the behavior of others. Yes, it’s apart and parcel with the chareidy lifestyle that has become a “ask not what we can do for our contry, but ask how much can we take from our country”. We sorely need some introspection on our part.
When emotions like hatred dominate, intellect falls asleep. People say (and sometimes do) very stupid things. I tend to agree with comment #10 who wonders whether this is indicative of Alzheimer’s.
nations and individuals die from within more so then from.the outside
the current idealogy of the herdeim in isreal is a growing cancet
no work, no secular education, no civil service at all, yet demanding money more money and that society conform to them cannot continue and is an evil that must be stopped before it is to late
they can live their live with there crum frumkeit nobody has a problem with that just do not ask others to follow and to support you
and society has a right to ask them to do something for the country as a whole and for them no to be so selfish and self centered
#24 and is exactly what the hamens of all generations tainet (see megilah 13b bottom).you and your kind, PMO in fla, hanovon, charie halls yossi etc etc are the jewish hamens of this generations. Just look at HaNovens (#19) twisted reality of yiddish history, what chutzpah. Yes, chareidim(those who belive in torah shebeksav and bal peh are one and inseparable etc) are a jhonny come lately movement
ps
he did not attack the religious nor frum people in general he is speaking about a subset within the frum community that is trying to control everybody
In the US if such a statement would have been said about a minority, it would trigger the person’s resignation not his/her apology.
Ha, ha, ha…..The frummelach Zionists must be foaming at the mouth about this comment. After all, they try to show themselves to be SUCH LOYAL Israelim’lach and this is the thanks they get…..!!!
The truth of his statements are irrelevant.
The fact of the matter is..that him and many others in Israel feel this way.
What we need to explore is..what are we doing to make them feel this way and what can we do to change it.
Perception IS reality.
#31 we dont have to change anything this is the leftist farkrumptin kop …like ‘what did we do to make them hate us that caused 9/11’. the reason is stated many times over in talmud ‘GEDOLA SINAS AM HARETZ LTALMUD CHACHAM YOSER MISINUS AKUM LYEHUDU’ and these are the ‘shreadys’ , the ‘Rachels jd’s the’ PMO in fla’s the efraim halevis
(actually he should be callimg himself the 7th numerated in mes kiddushin 69a the mishnes’ asarah yachsin’ and not mevazeh the name haleivy
Well, to be fair, while his choice of wording and characterization are troubling, his core assertion is valid. A growing demographic that takes more than it gives is indeed a risk. That is a huge part of the economic problems in the US (where close to half of the population pays no federal income tax), it’s causing all sorts of problems in Europe where social programs costs outweigh generated revenues (one word, Greece), and it’s a problem in Israel, too. The Chareidi community is on a huge growth trajectory (that’s a good thing), but as a whole that community also takes more State funding and resources than they generate (that’s not a good thing). Israel has weathered the current economic meltdown better than most countries, but project out a few years and the numbers do indeed look worrying. So, yes, he is correct – the long term threat to Israel’s safety (like the long term threat to US and European safety) is a sustained economic crisis, and Chareidim in Israel are indeed exasperating the problem.
When the ‘ultra- religious’ are in the streets throwing stones at drivers and other passer bys on shabbas as well as trying to destroy the infrastructure of Israel to ensure that their ultra stringent lifestyle is pushed on the entire community of Eretz Yisrael, this fellow may have some intelligence in his commentary. But lets not get crazy here. Just watch out for the extremists in all walks of life.
i dont understand why you are all getting upset. For all of you denying this, please refute his points.
Right now most chareidim:
1) dont work, but collect welfare
2) dont serve in the IDF
When the chareidim become a majority, and they will, who is going to pay taxes? whose going to defend Israel?
Yes, Iran could attack, but we have defenses against that.
Once chareidim are the majority and take over the government, there will be no tax money, all money will go to yeshivas and kollelim, but there will be no one to pay, or to defend Israel.
It is offensive to say that the Charadim are a bigger danger to Israel than Iran is. Iran is a nation whose leadership, if not its citizens, are publicly dedicated to the physical destruction of both the state of Israel, and also to the murder of its Jewish inhabitants.
The level of anti-Charedi attacks in the Israeli media is frightening. Even during the worst of the terror suicide bombings, it was not unusual to hear secular Israelis speak against the Charedim as more dangerous than the Arab Israelis whose members not only don’t serve in the IDF, avoid as many taxes as possible while collecting as much public money as possible but also, as an added benefit, periodically murdered the fellow citizens just because they were Jewish.
I was just in Israel over Sukkot and I don’t know if you all know this but there is a big sign in Meah Shearim calling for the speedy dismantlement of the State of Israel. If that isn’t a direct threat, I am not sure what is.
It is our (the haredim’s) fault that he feels this way. Our policy of “learn, don’t earn” is on track to destroy Israel financially.