By: Tzirel Rosenblatt

In an extraordinary turn of events underscoring the delicate intersection between religion, politics, and law in Israel, former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef played a pivotal role in foiling an assassination attempt against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. By swiftly notifying police of a disturbing request made by a Jerusalem resident, Yosef not only averted a potential tragedy but also reaffirmed the responsibility of Israel’s spiritual leaders to act in defense of democratic institutions.

As World Israel News (WIN) reported on Thursday, the incident has drawn national attention for both its chilling details and its wider implications. It highlights the rising tensions surrounding Baharav-Miara’s controversial enforcement of military draft laws—a matter that has inflamed ultra-Orthodox political leaders and deepened fissures between secular and Haredi communities.

According to Hebrew-language media accounts cited in the WIN report, the episode began when a 36-year-old man approached Rabbi Yosef with a highly troubling request: that the rabbi issue a din rodef against Attorney General Baharav-Miara.

In Halacha, din rodef refers to the designation of a person deemed an immediate threat to others, against whom any means—including lethal force—may be justified. While the concept has deep roots in Jewish religious law, it holds no authority under Israel’s civil or criminal legal frameworks.

Recognizing the grave danger inherent in the request, Rabbi Yosef immediately rejected the suggestion. He then reported the matter to Religious Affairs Ministry Director-General Yehuda Avidan, who promptly alerted the Jerusalem police.

As Avidan later explained in a letter to Police Commissioner Daniel Levy, Yosef’s office had “warned about a threat that seems concrete and could endanger the attorney general’s life.” Police acted without delay, arresting the suspect at his Jerusalem home. Officials confirmed to WIN that they had received “an explicit threat to harm a public figure” and moved swiftly to neutralize the danger.

Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, son of the late revered Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, is widely considered one of the most influential Sephardic rabbis of his generation. He served as Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel from 2013 until 2024, shaping religious policy and frequently serving as a spiritual authority for Shas, the powerful Sephardic ultra-Orthodox political party.

As the WIN report emphasized, Yosef’s decision to take the threat seriously and to elevate it to the proper authorities reflects not only his stature within Israel’s religious landscape but also his clear recognition of the moral dangers of political violence.

Yosef’s actions have been praised across the political spectrum as a demonstration of responsible leadership. In a climate of escalating hostility between secular institutions and ultra-Orthodox factions, his move to prioritize the sanctity of life over political grievance was seen by many as a stabilizing gesture.

The assassination plot emerges at a particularly volatile moment for Attorney General Baharav-Miara. In recent weeks, she has led efforts to enforce military draft laws, which include punitive measures against yeshiva students who refuse to report for service.

Her insistence on pursuing arrests has drawn fierce criticism from Haredi political leaders, who view the move as an existential threat to their community’s autonomy and way of life.

As World Israel News reported, United Torah Judaism MK Meir Porush issued a stark warning earlier this month: “We are getting closer to a situation of a civil war in the State of Israel between the Haredim [ultra-Orthodox] and the secular Israelis. All this is inspired by the Attorney General [Gali Baharav-Miara]. This is what she is causing.”

Such rhetoric, while reflecting the profound stakes of the draft issue, has also contributed to an increasingly combustible atmosphere—one in which violent threats against public officials, such as the plot foiled by Rabbi Yosef, can emerge.

The invocation of din rodef carries a particularly charged resonance in Israeli society. The concept, rooted in Jewish religious law, has historically been used in extreme circumstances to justify decisive action against those seen as endangering the community.

Its political exploitation, however, has deeply unsettling echoes. Most notoriously, radical activists invoked din rodef in the mid-1990s against Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin over his role in advancing the Oslo Accords. Rabin’s subsequent assassination in 1995 by a Jewish extremist continues to haunt Israeli political culture.

As the WIN report noted, the very fact that an individual sought to apply din rodef against the sitting attorney general reveals how polarized and dangerous Israel’s domestic discourse has become. Religious leaders like Rabbi Yosef, by rejecting and reporting such requests, play a crucial role in preventing history from repeating itself.

Following the suspect’s arrest, police officials confirmed that they were treating the threat with utmost seriousness. While details of the investigation remain under wraps, law enforcement sources told WIN that the case demonstrated both the volatility of Israel’s current political climate and the importance of rapid coordination between religious and state authorities.

The Attorney General’s office has not yet issued a formal comment on the foiled plot. Nonetheless, analysts cited by WIN suggest the incident may only strengthen Baharav-Miara’s resolve to press forward with enforcement of the draft laws, even amid mounting opposition.

The affair has also sharpened attention on the widening divide between Israel’s secular institutions and its ultra-Orthodox communities. Draft laws have long represented a flashpoint in Israeli politics, as the Haredi sector resists compulsory military service in favor of continued Torah study.

For many secular Israelis, the exemption system represents an untenable imbalance, particularly in light of the IDF’s heavy demands on other segments of society. Conversely, for Haredi leaders, the state’s insistence on conscription represents a direct assault on their religious identity and communal autonomy.

As the WIN report observed, this confrontation has reached a fever pitch under Baharav-Miara’s stewardship, raising fears of a deeper societal rupture. The foiled assassination attempt underscores how dangerously combustible these tensions have become.

For now, the spotlight remains firmly on Rabbi Yosef, whose actions almost certainly prevented tragedy. By refusing to indulge the suspect’s invocation of din rodef and by promptly alerting authorities, Yosef demonstrated the responsibility of religious leaders to safeguard not only their own communities but the broader fabric of Israeli society.

As the WIN report stressed, Yosef’s intervention highlights the potential for faith leaders to act as bulwarks against extremism, even as they navigate the profound political and religious disputes dividing the country.

In many ways, the episode serves as a reminder of the dual responsibilities borne by Israel’s rabbinic elite: to provide spiritual guidance rooted in Halacha, while also upholding the sanctity of life and the rule of law in a modern democratic state.

The foiled plot against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is both a relief and a warning. Thanks to Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef’s decisive action, a potentially catastrophic act of political violence was prevented. Yet the incident reveals the degree to which Israel’s internal divisions have sharpened, particularly around the contentious question of military conscription.

As the WIN report observed, the stakes of these debates go beyond policy. They touch the very heart of Israel’s identity as both a Jewish and democratic state. When disputes escalate into threats of violence justified by religious precepts, the danger extends not only to public officials but to the cohesion of Israeli society itself.

For now, Israel can be grateful for Rabbi Yosef’s prudence and courage. His example serves as a reminder that leadership—in both religious and civic spheres—requires not only conviction but restraint, and that safeguarding the life of even one public official may, in the end, safeguard the stability of the entire nation.