I’m still not convinced they meant to malign Rav Ovadiah along with the thugs.
But, even if I am correct about that, I agree with PBA and disagree with Sam2 that the intended audience of the letter makes any difference.
As I posted earlier, PBA’s discussion with ROB about halacha is not going anywhere because, in ROB’s view, halacha conforms to ROB’s ideals (including Zionism), not the other way around.
ROB cannot even admit that the three oaths are halacha (which even “Religious Zionist rabbis” bring down and, unfortunately, bring fallacious arguments to get around them). So it seems ROB certainly can’t admit that lo sasuru and lo sikrivu, are halacha.
He keeps repeating the Zionist lie that the opinions both ways are well settled. I suppose Korach was also well-settled in his opinion against Moshe Rabbeinu, until he did teshuva after the ground opened up. Zionism is not “Eilu viEilu”, even though the Zionists really wish that to be true. Zionism is treif and shmad.
The Brisker Rav said the State is the Satan’s greatest achievement since the eigel. Rav Elchonon Wasserman said Zionism/Nationalism is Avoda Zara. Zionists think they know better, and most probably don’t even know just how much Zionism is shmad.
As the Brisker Rav observed, it is not that the Zionists shmad in order to have a State; rather, they need a State in order to shmad. This is clear to anyone who has read Herzl’s writings, knows the history of Zionism and observes what goes on in Israel even until today.