Israeli army appoints Chief Rabbi who implied rape in war is permissible

The Israeli army has appointed Colonel Eyal Karim as their new Chief Rabbi despite outrage which erupted in 2012 when he implied that soldiers were permitted to rape women during war.

When asked by a reader on the website Kipa, “Is it allowed in our days [sic] for an IDF soldier, for example, to rape girls during a fight, or is such a thing forbidden?”

He replied: “… As in war the prohibition against risking your life is broken for the benefit of others, so are the prohibitions against immorality and of kashrut. …war removes some of the prohibitions on sexual relations (gilui arayotin the original – YZG), and even though fraternising with a gentile woman is a very serious matter, it was permitted during wartime (under the specific terms) out of understanding for the hardship endured by the warriors. And since the success of the whole at war is our goal, the Torah permitted the individual to satisfy the evil urge (yetzer ha’ra in the original -YZG), under the conditions mentioned, for the purpose of the success of the whole.”

This is not the first time Karim has inspired outrage and been accused of misogyny – he has opposed female conscription and declared that female singers should not be allowed to perform at ceremonies held by the Israeli army, a declaration he justifies using Jewish law. Members of the Knesset and women’s rights organisations have asked for the decision to appoint him to be overturned.