Israeli army bans radical ‘Messiah’ patch from uniforms

The Israeli military has reportedly banned soldiers from wearing non-military symbols on their uniforms after soldiers were seen with ultra-religious “Messiah” patches, months after international uproar over a trend among some troops to don ‘Greater Israel’ badges.

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi visited a unit fighting in southern Lebanon last week and noticed some troops wearing the “Messiah” patch on their arms, linked to a messianic Zionist ideology advocating for the rebuilding of the Third Temple and insignia of the radical Hilltop Youth settler group.

The symbol of a crown with the word “Messiah” in Hebrew below comes from a particular branch of Chabad Orthodox Judaism, one of the largest Hasidic movements.

According to Israeli media reports, Halevi reportedly removed the religious symbol from the sleeve of a soldier’s uniform and put it in his breast pocket, saying: “You can put it inside close to your heart, but only military things are on the uniform.”

Earlier in the war on Gaza there were dozens of accusations of serious misconduct amongst Israeli troops due to their uniforms.

In June, a picture circulated online showing an Israeli soldier’s uniform carrying a patch of the ‘Greater Israel’ map, which included the whole of historic Palestine along with chunks of present-day Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt’s Sinai desert.

The concept of ‘Greater Israel’ is advocated by some far-right members of the Israeli government who support the annexation of more Arab land, harking back to a hardline view of the land of Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River.

Halevi reportedly told the troops that “only military insignia” was allowed on soldiers’ uniforms during the operational visit last week, following Israel’s invasion of Lebanese border towns and widespread airstrikes across the country.

The report prompted an outcry from some Jewish Orthodox groups, including the Torat Lechima organisation which works with the army “to strengthen Jewish identity and fighting spirit in the IDF and defence community”.

According to Israel’s Channel 7 broadcaster, Torat Lechima slammed Halevi for “messing” with the symbol because it was “unmilitary”.

Torat Lechima went on to mock the Israeli army spokesperson for publishing an LGBT-friendly flag and suggesting it was “military”.

Tensions between the Orthodox community and the military have been at an all-time high since the process for the mandatory conscription of men from the ultra-religious Haredi community began in July.

The Chabad-Lubavitch movement have been closely involved with the military throughout the war. Soldiers who follow the ideology reportedly established a ‘centre’ in Beit Hanoun in north Gaza.

The organisation set up a prayer stand, known as ‘tellefin’ in Hebrew, in Gaza in November which was visited by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

The ‘Messiah’ symbol denotes from ‘Messianism’ in the Chabad-Lubavitch community, one of the largest Hasidic movements within Orthodox Judaism. The ultraconservative community believes that a Rabbi called Menachem Mendel Schneerson who died in 1994 is the awaited Messiah.

In January, videos were posted on YouTube by an account named Zman Haguela, a Massiah Orthodox news website, showing members of the community handing out the badges and stickers to soldiers serving in the war. 

In another video the Messiah flag was tied to an Israeli army tank which appeared to have been deployed to Gaza.