Thousands of Jewish settlers protested on Monday against the brief detention of two leading rabbis, in what some commentators have called a clash between religion and the rule of law.
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Israeli lawmaker Michael Ben Ari of the right-wing Ichud Leumi party told Reuters the rabbis’ detention was meant to “sow fear, not to investigate.”
“Rabbis are not above the law. A rabbi who has broken the law must be brought to justice and investigated. If he has stolen, taken a bribe, harmed someone, he has no immunity. But the Torah has immunity. The Torah cannot stand trial,” Ben Ari said.
