Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi's Anti-Zionist Remarks Spark Israeli Election Row

Comments by ultra-Orthodox rabbi Dov Lando criticizing Zionism have stirred a political row in Israel, exposing deep tensions over religious attitudes toward the state, military conscription and the role of ultra-Orthodox parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition.

Lando's remarks have drawn attention to longstanding divisions within parts of the ultra-Orthodox community over the legitimacy of the state of Israel and Zionism as a political movement, a debate that predates the country's founding and persists among some religious factions.

The controversy comes at a politically sensitive moment, with the comments feeding into wider debates ahead of elections about the relationship between ultra-Orthodox parties and Netanyahu's government, including disputes over whether ultra-Orthodox men should be subject to military conscription like other Israelis.

A recurring fault line

Tensions over ultra-Orthodox conscription exemptions have repeatedly strained Netanyahu's governing coalitions, with secular and other lawmakers pushing to end what they see as unfair exemptions, while ultra-Orthodox parties resist changes to arrangements that have long shielded their communities from mandatory service.

Lando's anti-Zionist remarks add a further ideological dimension to that dispute, highlighting that opposition to conscription in some ultra-Orthodox circles is tied not only to religious practice but, for some, to a rejection of Zionism itself.