JERUSALEM (JTA) — Police questioned the chief rabbi of the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba for two hours on suspicion of incitement.
Rabbi Dov Lior, a senior figure in the national religious community, was arrested Monday while driving near Jerusalem after months of refusing to appear for questioning for his endorsement of the book “Torat Hamelech,” or "The King’s Torah," which justifies killing non-Jews.
He was released after the questioning.
The book’s author, Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira, had been detained and questioned over the contents of his book. Shapira wrote that under Jewish law it is permissible to kill non-Jewish children if they pose a threat or as a deterrent for the future, and that only a Jew who kills a Jew violates the commandment against murder.
Shapira was released after his questioning.
Dozens of right-wing activists demonstrated at the entrance to Jerusalem and in front of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem following the arrest of Lior. Six protesters were arrested.
