Dan Halutz: "I see no difference between the ayatollahs in Iran and the rabbis in Israel"

Former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz sparked controversy in a podcast interview by comparing Israeli rabbis to Iranian ayatollahs, specifically targeting Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch and Shas rabbis. He questioned whether Rabbi Hirsch is better because he speaks Yiddish, and whether Shas rabbis are superior. In response, United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yaakov Asher launched a sharp attack, calling Halutz a "wretched man" and recalling the stock sale affair at the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War, accusing Halutz of sending soldiers to battle while tending to his investments.

Former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz stirred a storm during a podcast interview when he compared Israeli rabbis to Iranian ayatollahs. Halutz stated that he sees no difference between the two, and asked whether Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch is better because he speaks Yiddish, and whether Shas rabbis are superior. He added that in Iran, there is no distinction between a Sephardic and an Ashkenazi ayatollah. In response, United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yaakov Asher harshly attacked Halutz, calling him a "wretched man" and recalling the stock sale affair at the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War, during which Halutz sent soldiers into battle while tending to his investments. Asher concluded by saying that such baseness is doubtful even at the headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards in Iran.