Flyer instructs Orthodox Jews to murder female Israeli soldiers

Israeli police have launched an investigation into a flyer which gives instructions to Orthodox Jews to murder female soldiers, military commanders and anyone involved in recruiting Haredi men into the Israeli army.

The flyer is written in Hebrew in the form of a religious proclamation entitled “a ruling of Jewish law” and was distributed in a Haredi neighbourhood of Jerusalem. The Haredi community reject many secular aspects of the state of Israel including enlisting into the military. The conservative religious community run an ongoing campaign against forced conscription into the military, believing that the state is trying to eradicate their religious identity.

The content of the flyer, reports The Jerusalem Post, reads:  “If they take you by force to the army of destruction, it is permitted for you and you must do the following actions: take your rifle that you received and kill any woman soldier you see to merit her in [the precept of] ‘be killed instead of transgressing’”.

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“Kill any [Israeli army] commander who holds you [in the army] by force. Kill anyone who drafts or entices or helps [to draft Haredi men]”, instructed the flier.

This extreme form of incitement to violence is uncommon. According to the Post the Haredi community has held mass demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience such as blocking major traffic routes and road junctions; organising protests outside the homes of senior Haredi Israeli army personnel; physical and verbal assaults against Haredi men in IDF uniforms.

They have also launched campaigns of incitement using flyers, posters, pamphlets and other forms of written media, against the conscription of Haredis into the army.