Hesder rabbis: We'll fight for Har Bracha

The hesder yeshivot association decided Sunday to continue with its current agreement with the Israel Defense Forces, while simultaneously pursuing political, legal and public avenues to bring the Har Bracha Yeshiva back into the fold.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak decided to sever the military's ties with Har Bracha Yeshiva following its leader, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed's refusal to recant his statements supporting insubordination.

Rabbi Haim Drukman, head of the hesder yeshivot association, said – after the four-hour debate – that the decision was unanimous, adding that Rabbi Melamed "aligned himself with other hesder rabbis as far as our sentiments towards the military is concerned."

The association's spokesman, Rabbi David Stav, added that "Rabbi Melamed sees himself as an inseparable part of the association," and that his peers "are going to do everything in their power to see his yeshiva included in the agreement again."

Following the meeting, sources in the association said that "Barak was given everything he wanted and more. He has no reason not to include Har Bracha in the arrangement again. The ball is in his court."

The rabbis further urged the IDF to refrain from using soldiers for civilian missions, saying "they have enough defense responsibilities." Nevertheless, the group did not debate the question of possible insubordination in the even soldiers were given an order to evict a settlement.

The matter, Stav explained, was still under halachic dispute.

Rabbi Drukman speaking at the meeting

The rabbis expressed their appreciation of the IDF and its officers, "who are doing God's work by protecting and defending the State of Israel and its citizens."

Rabbi Melamed signed the statement along with his peers, de facto recanting his allegations against the top military bras, accusing it of corruption.

The hesder yeshivot association's statement further said that the defense minister's decision to exclude Har Bracha from the seminary school's arrangement with the military "was grave, as it created a serious rift within the army and the public.

"The association will do everything it can to reverse the decision… which was made without true debate with the yeshivot's representatives."

Another rabbi who took part in the meeting told Ynet that the rabbis "made it perfectly clear to Melamed that he cannot paint us into a corner we do not wish to be in. We won't let him do that."

Meanwhile, heads of the hesder yeshivot and other prominent rabbis have scheduled a special meeting on the matter in Jerusalem.

The meeting, set for Sunday night, will attempt to devise ways to reduce the tensions between the defense establishment and the hesder yeshivot.