Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi sent a message via international diplomatic and defense officials offering to provide medical and humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, a country which is also suffering catastrophic economic consequences in the wake of the coronavirus. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said that “we participate in the pain of the Lebanese nation at its time of tragedy and offer our assistance at this difficult time.”

However not all Israelis shared the same sentiments. MK Betzalel Smotrich (Yemina) said that “with regard to assistance to Lebanon, we need to distinguish between two issues: If we have diplomatic utility from this and we get points in the international arena and it is our interest to help- this is fine. However we have no moral obligation to offer assistance to an inveterate enemy country, since ‘He who has mercy on the cruel will eventually be cruel towards the merciful.'”

Moshe Feiglin (Zehut) went further, stating that “in honor of the 15th of Av [known is Israel as the “festival of love” commemorating the story of the unification of the tribe of Benjamin with the rest of the tribes after the civil war in the time of the judges] we were treated to a “stunning pyrotechnic show” in Beirut port.” He added that “you don’t really believe that this was some jumbled warehouse of fuel -right? This gehennom was supposed to bring onto us a rain of rockets.”

Feiglin went on to describe the “nuclear bomb” aspects of the explosion and concluded by saying a “huge thank you to Hashem and to all the geniuses and true heroes who arranged this wonderful celebration in honor of the festival of love.”

Rabbi Amnon Bazaq of the Har Etzion yeshiva blasted Feiglin and Smotrich for their attitude which he said is “not the way of the Torah. These statements, which are far from the basic morality G-d instilled in us, could constitute a desecration of G-d’s name.

“Firstly it should be stressed that the residents of Lebanon are not necessarily cruel and evil and it is a moral obligation to distinguish between an enemy country and innocent citizens including women and children, especially in a country like Lebanon in which the Hezbollah rules absolutely and undemocratically over numerous citizens who do not identify with its outlook.

“Expressing joy over the deaths of tens of people and injuries to thousands does not represent the Torah of the Jewish nation. In response to the quote mentioned by Smotrich many other contrary quotes can be cited, including “Do not rejoice at the fall of your enemy”, “My handiwork is drowning in the sea and you give praises” as well as “Hashem does not rejoice in the fall of evil people.”