It also asks the government not to place the soldiers in a moral dilemma by making requests that are contrary to their religious beliefs. Government ministers such as Labor's Moshe Shahal and Yossi Sarid said the rabbis have no right to express such views. Israel is not like the United States, where there is separation of religion and state. The government there supports two legal systems, one based on modern law, the other on Jewish law. Issues of marriage and divorce are the domain of the religious courts.
Litigants can choose to try civil cases in either system.
On one hand, many of the rabbis are Israeli government officials serving judges on legally constituted rabbinic courts or are state-appointed municipal rabbis. Some of the rabbis have been threatened by the Ministry of Religious Affairs because of their halachic ruling. Government officials have called for cutting educational funding to those yeshivas whose students serve in the army while studying Torah. Many more rabbis want to sign the rabbinic opinions but feel intimidated by the government pressure. Rabbis, in particular those who serve as judges in rabbinic courts, have the right to issue opinions.