To clearly expose the mindset of many Israelis toward Gaza and the Palestinians it is important to understand what kind of religious guidance the population has received and is receiving from its religious leaders on the subject, and the entrenched ancient beliefs within Talmudic Judaism of the inherent superiority of the Jewish people.
Using his interpretation of Old Testament texts to arrive at his "legal" opinion, former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Mordecai Eliyahu ruled that there is no moral prohibition against the indiscriminate killing of civilians in Gaza. The judgment, which many Israelis consider the truth, was sent in the form of a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in 2007, was then published in "Olam Katan" and widely distributed the same week to congregations in synagogues throughout Israel.
Isn't his statement a quintessential definition for terrorism?
Below is a quote from the report posted to israeli.jpost.com.
"According to Jewish war ethics, wrote Eliyahu, an entire city holds collective responsibility for the immoral behavior of individuals. In Gaza, the entire populace is responsible because they do nothing to stop the firing of Kassam rockets.
The former chief rabbi also said it was forbidden to risk the lives of Jews in Sderot or the lives of IDF soldiers for fear of injuring or killing Palestinian noncombatants living in Gaza."
Using his interpretation of Old Testament texts to arrive at his "legal" opinion, former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Mordecai Eliyahu ruled that there is no moral prohibition against the indiscriminate killing of civilians in Gaza. The judgment, which many Israelis consider the truth, was sent in the form of a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in 2007, was then published in "Olam Katan" and widely distributed the same week to congregations in synagogues throughout Israel.
Isn't his statement a quintessential definition for terrorism?
Below is a quote from the report posted to israeli.jpost.com.
"According to Jewish war ethics, wrote Eliyahu, an entire city holds collective responsibility for the immoral behavior of individuals. In Gaza, the entire populace is responsible because they do nothing to stop the firing of Kassam rockets.
The former chief rabbi also said it was forbidden to risk the lives of Jews in Sderot or the lives of IDF soldiers for fear of injuring or killing Palestinian noncombatants living in Gaza."
