Former Chief Rabbi Helps Foil Assassination Plot Against Israel Attorney General

A 36-year-old man was arrested in Jerusalem after reportedly requesting former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef's halachic approval to issue a din rodef against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, effectively seeking religious justification for her assassination. Rabbi Yosef promptly informed Religious Affairs Ministry Director-General Yehuda Avidan, who alerted the police, leading to the rapid intervention and arrest of the suspect. The din rodef, a Jewish legal concept permitting the use of force, including killing, against someone deemed an immediate threat, holds no legal standing in Israel's civil law but has historically been cited in politically motivated violence. Baharav-Miara has recently intensified enforcement of military draft laws against ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers, actions that have angered Haredi political leaders and contributed to heightened tensions within Israeli society. The Attorney General has also faced attempts by the current government to dismiss her, which have been temporarily halted by the High Court. Authorities continue to investigate the threat amid concerns about escalating religious and political divisions in Israel.