"Orthodox rabbis have launched an unprecedented political attack on the Israeli Supreme Court, calling the justices their enemies, because "ignorant of Jewish law." (None of the 14 judges on the Supreme Court are ultra- Orthodox.) Rabbis have called on followers to disobey any law based on the court's rulings. Israel's President, who has tried to mediate such disputes in the past, warned, "There could be a bloodbath ..." Israel Leader Fears Religious Clash By JACK KATZENELL .c The Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel's founding fathers deliberately avoided an explosive issue when they chose not to define the role of religion in the state. But after 50 years, it appears that ultra-Orthodox and secular Jewish Israelis are gearing up for a showdown over the issue. Orthodox rabbis, furious with Supreme Court decisions they claim oppose Halacha, or Jewish law, launched an unprecedented attack this week, calling the justices enemies and saying they were ignorant of Jewish law. Orthodox leaders said Thursday they expect hundreds of thousands to join a protest Sunday against the judiciary. So far, seven secular groups have applied for police permits to counterdemonstrate. President Ezer Weizman warned there could be bloodshed if the two camps don't pull back from the brink. In statements broadcast Thursday on Israeli radio stations, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, leader of the Shas Party, said the justices are ``wicked, stubborn and rebellious.'' Yosef said ``any 7-year-old'' knows the Torah better than the Supreme Court. Over the past year, rabbis have called on followers to disobey court rulings. Anat Maor, a legislator from the liberal Meretz party, called the statements ``a terrible threat to democracy.'' Weizman, who has tried to mediate such disputes in the past, asked Yosef on Thursday to back away from Sunday's planned demonstration. ``If I can prevent a bloodbath -- and there could be a bloodbath Sunday -- it is my duty,'' Weizman told reporters. Negotiations were expected to continue after the Jewish Sabbath Saturday evening. Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, who has organized many ultra-Orthodox demonstrations, predicted that half a million people would demonstrate Sunday. ``We will show them that there is no power that can challenge the law of the Torah,'' he said. About 30 percent of Israel's Jews consider themselves religiously observant while about 70 percent are secular. The two camps have long fought over the role of religion in everyday life. Recent decisions by the Supreme Court which are especially infuriating to the ultra-Orthodox community include a ruling that overturned an exemption from Israel's military draft. Before the decision, students in a yeshiva, a Jewish seminary, were exempt from any kind of service. The ultra-Orthodox argue that Israel's judicial system is undemocratic because judges are appointed rather than elected. Of the 14 judges on the Supreme Court, three consider themselves to be religiously observant, though none are ultra-Orthodox. In government, however, the ultra-Orthodox wield a disproportionate amount of power and are key members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition. When Israel's ambassador to Germany told a German magazine in an interview that Yosef's Shas party was undemocratic, he was recalled and told his posting would not be renewed. Trying to calm both sides, Netanyahu said Thursday, ``I think we need to stop the attacks against the Supreme Court justices and also against the ultra- Orthodox public. We need to understand that we live here together. If we don't live here together, we won't live at all.''
