Israeli Rabbi Faces Incitement Probe Over Ruling Against Arab-Party Government

An Israeli lawmaker from the left-wing Democrats party called on Thursday for a criminal investigation into Harav Gedalia Axelrod, a senior Chabad rabbi, following a religious ruling regarding the formation of a government backed by Arab political parties, anash.org reported.

MK Michal Rozin urged authorities on November 12, 2026, to investigate Axelrod, accusing the 85-year-old former Haifa rabbinical judge of incitement to violence and racism over a letter he published earlier that week.

In that correspondence, Axelrod warned that political leaders who facilitate a government supported by Arab parties fall under the halachic category of a pursuer whose actions endanger lives, adding that lawmakers who enable such an administration by abstaining from votes also bear responsibility for endangering Jewish lives.

Rozin posted her condemnation on X, drawing direct comparisons between Axelrod’s rhetoric and the atmosphere preceding the 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, warning that similar language directed at political leaders had previously preceded fatal violence.

“The last time law enforcement turned a blind eye to the application of a ‘din rodef’ against elected leadership, it ended in the assassination of a prime minister.”

Rozin wrote, as reported by The Times of Israel in its coverage of the controversy.

Victims of Racism and Officials Demand Criminal Probe

The controversy intensified when the Center for Victims of Racism filed an urgent complaint with Israel Police, the Attorney General, and the State Attorney’s Office, demanding a full criminal probe into possible offenses of incitement to violence, solicitation of murder, and incitement to racism, anash.org noted.

Rozin submitted a separate, formal complaint to State Attorney Amit Aisman, asserting that Axelrod’s declaration fell far outside the boundaries of protected free speech. Several former security chiefs and various left-wing political figures joined the chorus demanding immediate law enforcement action, according to reporting by The Times of Israel.

Debates over government formation in the 26th Knesset continue. Democrats chairman Yair Golan has openly advocated for building a coalition that includes Arab parties, while calling for an end to what he terms a racist separation between Jewish and Arab voter blocs.

Chabad Administration Distances Movement from Rabbi's Personal Views

In response to the growing public outcry, Chabad’s official administration moved swiftly to distance the global movement from the rabbi’s personal decrees.

“Chabad’s official halakhic positions are determined exclusively by Chabad’s rabbinic court, in accordance with the Rebbe’s instructions.”

said Rabbi Shimi Segal, a spokesperson for Chabad in Israel, when questioned by media outlets about the letters. “Rabbi Axelrod is not a member of the court and does not hold a leadership position in Chabad. His statements and letters reflect his personal views alone,” said Rabbi Shimi Segal, a spokesperson for Chabad in Israel, when questioned by media outlets about the letters.

Meanwhile, the civil rights organization B’Tsalmo sharply criticized the legal complaints against the veteran rabbi. Shai Glick, director of the organization, accused left-wing figures and watchdog groups of attempting to use the threat of criminal prosecution to silence rabbinical authorities.

“The Knesset has barely begun, and the silencing has already started.”

Glick said, calling on prosecutors to dismiss the complaints against public figures expressing religious and legal positions.