Rav Hershel Schachter, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University, issued an apology today for a statement he made that appeared to advocate shooting the Prime Minister of Israel should the government give away Yerushalayim.

In a 39-second clip posted on YouTube this week, Rabbi Schachter is seen having a discussion in Eretz Yisroel with American Talmidim learning at Yeshivat HaKotel in Yerushalayim. He seems to be answering a question regarding serving in the IDF.

“First you have to know what the army is going to do. If the army is going to destroy Gush Katif, there’s no mitzvah to destroy Eretz Yisroel…….. If the army is going to give away Yerushalayim, then I would tell everyone to resign from the army – I’d tell them to shoot the Rosh Hamemshalah.”

“No one should go to the army if they (IDF) are doing aveirus.”

Rabbi Schachter released the following apology for his statements.

“Statements I made informally have been publicly excerpted this week. I deeply regret such statements and apologize for them. They were uttered spontaneously, off the cuff, and were not meant seriously. And, they do not, God forbid, represent my views. Jewish law demands respect for representatives of the Jewish government and the state of Israel.”