Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has prohibited soldiers from volunteering in their free time with children of migrants who are illegally in the country, sparking fierce debate Monday.
Human rights organizations, leftwing opposition politicians and some media condemned the decision as racist, while rightwing supporters said the soldiers should instead help disadvantaged Israelis.
Commanders of some units in the army, one of Israel's most important institutions, encourage their troops to carry out educational or fun initiatives with the children of African migrants, including in public parks in south Tel Aviv where many can be found. Ultra-nationalist Lieberman, however, in recent days ordered the army to curtail such activities.
"Lieberman's directive derives from the belief that IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers should take part in activities that are widely agreed upon and not at the heart of public debate, especially when the activity is among a population that is not here legally," a spokesman explained.
"Soldiers must primarily help the needy" Israelis, deputy defense minister Eli Ben-Dahan, a member of the religious nationalist Jewish Home party, told Israeli radio. But Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai responded on army radio that the country could "under no circumstances ignore the plight of children living among us."
For the leftist daily Haaretz, Lieberman had set "a new record for racism, abominable morals and cruelty".
