Religious leaders such as the former chief rabbi Avraham Shapira have been urging members of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) not to take part in the "sinful" transfer of Jews from the territory, as planned for next year by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

While the disengagement plan has led to deep divisions within the country, the defence establishment is determined to ensure that troops are not dragged into the debate and start questioning orders from their superiors.

General Elazar Stern, head of the military personnel division, was due to discuss the issue Wednesday with the rabbis who head up religious military schools, but they cancelled talks at the last minute, the website of the Haaretz daily reported.

"Given the current situation, we believe that conditions are not right for this discussion," one of the rabbis told the paper, without giving further details.

On Tuesday army chief of staff General Moshe Yaalon and Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz both warned rabbis not to meddle in army affairs.

"Insubordination is dangerous to us as an army, as a society and as a nation," said Yaalon at a military ceremony.

"This is not legitimate and is inappropriate. Insubordination is a danger to Zionism. IDF commanders and soldiers carry out missions given by the government and will continue to do so professionally, and with the appropriate sensitivity necessitated by the complexity of the missions at hand.

"Calls by political and spiritual leaders to refuse (to carry out an order) put commanders and soldiers in difficult dilemmas. The missions are complicated, and the burden on the commanders is heavy."

Mofaz, himself a former chief of staff, also slapped down any talk of insubordination.

"I admire and respect men of Torah and the rabbis, but the call by certain rabbis for refusal is intolerable and must be condemned," he said in a speech in Tel Aviv.

"Refusal will lead to disintegration. I urge the rabbis who called for refusal --- recant, don't disintegrate us. Keep the IDF and the security services out of political and diplomatic controversies."

However, in a sign that right-wing rabbis will not easily be silenced, around 60 of them put their name to a petition in a full-page advert in Wednesday's Hatzofe newspaper, the mouthpiece of the settler movement, in support of Shapira.

"Staunch congratulations are hereby sent to the eminent luminary, head of Merkaz Harav yeshiva (religious school) and former chief rabbi of Israel, our teacher and mentor Rabbi Avraham Elkana Kahane Shapira, may he live a long life," said the advert signed by the self-styled "Jews Do Not Expel Jews" organisation.

Rabbi Yaakov Shapira told AFP his father's appeal "will create a pressure effect on the political class and the prime minister" in order that they abandon plans to pull all 8,000 Jewish residents out of the Gaza Strip next year.

The council of Yesha rabbis, which represents settlers in both Gaza and the West Bank, also declared its support for Shapira and called on soldiers to refuse to evacuate fellow Jews.

The opinion of the rabbis, however, is far from unanimous, with others agreeing that the refusal calls represent a threat to the state.

"The appeal from Rabbi Shapira endangers the future of the state of Israel," said Rabbi Yoel Bin Nun, leader of a yeshiva at the Hadati Kibbutz in southern Israel.

Kibbutz leaders released a statement urging the rabbis "not to involve the IDF in the debate over the withdrawal plan" while also underlining its opposition to the project and calling for a national referendum.

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