‘Sanhedrin’ leader arrested

A leader of a hard-line Orthodox rabbinical forum in Israel was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence. Rabbi Yisrael Ariel of the self-styled “Sanhedrin” was taken into custody on suspicion of issuing an edict that described Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh, chief of Israeli forces in the West Bank, as a “moser,” or “betrayer or Jews,” after Naveh issued restraining orders against far-right settlers. Under strict Orthodox law, a moser can be killed for endangering Jewish life. Israel Radio quoted associates of Ariel as saying that the authorities were conducting a witch hunt and that the rabbi had acted within the parameters of religious teachings.