In February, nearly 70 prominent national religious rabbis signed a letter of protest over the police’s announced intention to arrest Lior if he continued to ignore their requests to present himself for questioning.Torat Hamelech, appeared for police questioning as requested last year and used the opportunity to explain to police the halachic reasoning behind his support for the book.Knesset members from the National Union were outraged over the arrest. Uri Ariel said on Monday afternoon that “hunting down rabbis who rule on matters of Jewish law is not the task of the police and State Attorney's Office.” Michael Ben Ari called for the dismissal of the public security minister, since police “treat Arab leaders with kid gloves, while here are disgracing a great rabbi.”Others joined them in expressing their anger. Heads of the Land of Israel Caucus MKZeev Elkin (Likud) and MK Arie Eldad expressed their “shock overthe police's decision to employ detectives to arrest a rabbi inIsrael, as though he were a common criminal, just because of hishalachic stance.” The caucus called for the release of Lior andthat the investigation be called off.
Heads of the some of the leading educational institutions within the sector – including Rabbi Haim Druckman of Or Etzion, Rabbi David Stav of Tzohar and the Petah Tikva hesder yeshiva, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon and Rabbi Eliezer Melamed – defended Lior’s ongoing refusal to be investigated for the rabbinic endorsement (haskama) he gave the book.Lior and Rabbi Ya’acov Yosef, son of Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, have been publicly refusing the police summons since last year. Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsberg of Kfar Chabad, who also endorsed