Israel's Netanyahu seeks to salvage damaged image with religious references, says Israeli rabbi

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) — Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been increasingly using quotes from the Torah, the Jewish holy scripture, in his speeches, in what a rabbi has said is an attempt to salvage his public image damaged by the surprise cross-border attack of Palestinian group Hamas earlier this month.

"During times of war, leadership often draws from the Torah and religious texts, and this is common during wartime," Rabbi Elhanan Miller, who is also a left-leaning Israeli analyst, told Anadolu.

Noting that in previous wars, "we have heard religious text quotations from the Torah in the speeches of brigade commanders as well," this had become a "recurring theme" in Netanyahu's speeches since Hamas' attack on Oct. 7.

"It is unusual, as it's a way to address the right-wing and religious base in Israel," he added.

In a press conference on Saturday evening, Netanyahu had said, "I pray for the safety of our soldiers. May God grant them victory over the enemies who have risen against us. May our enemies be humbled before them, and may they be crowned with salvation and triumph."

Netanyahu also quoted from Deuteronomy 25:17, saying, "remember what Amalek did to you," in reference to the Jewish exodus from Egypt.

He added: "We remember, and we fight."

On Oct. 25, Netanyahu said in another speech, "with our combined strength, deep faith in the righteousness of our cause, and the eternity of Israel, we will fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 60:18, 'violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.'"

In an even earlier religious reference on Oct. 9, Netanyahu said in an address Israel's existence was a miracle and an example of faith and action, reciting from the book of Samuel, "the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind."

Right after a surprise cross-border attack by Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7, he urged Israelis to "remember, you are continuing the path of the heroes of the people of Israel, from Joshua the son of Nun, to Judah the Maccabee, to the heroes of 5708 (the Hebrew year corresponding to the 1948 expulsion of Palestinians and official founding of Israel), and all of Israel's wars."

Prior to this, it was rare for Netanyahu to quote from the Torah in his speeches.

Miller considers Netanyahu's use of Torah excerpts "also part of public relations.

"It's the image he wants to present to the people as a believer and a committed leader, but in my opinion, it's part of a show."

"Netanyahu is obsessed, and right now, he is more preoccupied with public relations than anything else. What he's done in this regard is not surprising; he uses all media tools in his speeches," he went on.

Miller also said that Netanyahu has also been using religiously relevant phrases like "Good will triumph over evil," "light over darkness," and "The people of Israel live" in his speeches.

His political future seems uncertain as many inside Israel hold him responsible for the sudden attack by Hamas on Oct. 7. He initially tried to shift blame to the army and intelligence but later retracted and apologized.

Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza since Oct. 7.

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7 has risen to 8,005, the Health Ministry in the besieged Palestinian enclave said on Sunday. The figure includes 3,342 children and 2,062 women.

More than 1,538 Israelis have been killed since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the public broadcaster KAN said on Monday.

Gaza's 2.3 million residents are also grappling with shortages of food, water, fuel, and medicine due to Israel’s blockade of the enclave. Only a few aid trucks have crossed into Gaza since the opening of the Rafah crossing point on Oct. 21.

* Writing by Rania Abu Shamala