"You cannot ignore a command that is repeated 36 times in the Mosaic books: 'You were exiled in order to know what it feels like to be an exile.' I regard that as one of the core projects of a state that is true to Judaic principle. And therefore I regard the current situation as nothing less than tragic, because it is forcing Israel into postures that are incompatible in the long-run with our deepest ideals."
UK Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
criticises Israeli government policy on
theological grounds.
Comments
Excellent development. Now what we need is a conservative Palestinian Muslim to issue a similar pronouncement on suicide attacks against civilians.
Posted by: booblover | August 27, 2002 3:08 PM
yes, of course the suicide bombings should stop. but to assert that a similar pronouncement is necessary is to employ a flipped logic, one that disregards israel's formative role in the "conflict." suicide bombings, while desperate, ill-conceived, and terribly tragic, are in direct response to isreal's war of occupation against the palestinian people. they would not be happening (and historically did not happen) absent the u.s. funded official israeli repression and killing which the rabbi is criticizing.
Posted by: elihu | August 27, 2002 7:48 PM
and in fact, sacks does indeed call the palestinians out, in his own way, in the next paragraph:
He wants, instead, to put the other side, to explain how the Israeli peace camp is repeatedly "checkmated" by Palestinian terror: every time Israeli liberals preach compromise, Palestinians kill more innocents. He wants to stress how Israel made the "cognitive leap" towards compromise when former prime minister Ehud Barak offered major concessions two years ago, and how "there has been no parallel cognitive leap" on the Palestinian side.
interesting.
Posted by: elihu | August 27, 2002 7:53 PM
Some responses to Sacks: guardian letters page and article on the response. Both from the Guardian.
Posted by: gwen | August 28, 2002 3:09 AM