Zionists ‘Misusing’ Judaism to Continue Illegal Occupation: Rabbi
The regime has been bombing the Gaza Strip since October 7, after Palestinian resistance groups launched a surprise operation on occupied territories in response to increased Israeli violence against Palestinians.
The brutal Israeli aggression have killed at least 18,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, as most of the 2.3 million residents of Gaza have been displaced.
The relentless bombing campaign has been slammed by people across the world who call for a ceasefire amid the international organization’s failure to urge a halt to Israeli atrocities. The Israeli crimes have also been condemned by different Jewish groups across the globe.
“We had to make our voices heard loud and clear in opposition to the Zionist atrocities because the Zionists continuously misuse the name of Jewish people and the Jewish religion,” Rabbi Dovid Feldman, the spokesman of the Neturei Karta International, told IQNA in an interview.
“The very existence of the state of Israel, the ongoing occupation, including all brutal atrocities since its very beginning in 1948, are a violation of Judaism and are criminal and barbaric,” he said.
Citing Jewish beliefs, Feldman said “Jews are forbidden to create their own state” since God “placed them in exile”, stressing that they are banned from ending this divine decree “by any physical means.”
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“This is especially the case with respect to killing and occupying, both of which are totally forbidden in the Jewish religion,” he said, adding that Jews are required to live as loyal citizens and peaceful neighbors in the countries where they reside.
However, he maintained, “The Zionist movement is using the Jewish religion to legitimize their occupation and to justify their crimes against humanity. Judaism forbids killing and stealing, It's tragic that all of this is happening, and it's being covered by falsely claiming the Torah, even though while it is the very opposite of the Torah, the opposite of Judaism.”
‘Muslims were majority before Zionists occupied Palestine’
Stressing that Palestine belongs to its indigenous inhabitants, Feldman said “Palestine was home for people of different religions, and even the minority was living in peace … people of the Jewish and Christian faith were the minority and Muslims the majority.” He noted that this peace was disrupted when Zionists started their colonial project.
He was referring to the contentious 1917 Balfour Declaration, devised by Western authorities, wherein the promise of a homeland in Palestine for Jews was made without consulting the indigenous population. Regarded as a colonial initiative, the declaration disregarded the rights and aspirations of the native Palestinians, who opposed the Zionist invasion and the forcible occupation of their land.
In 1948, Zionist paramilitary forces executed a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign known as Nakba or catastrophe. This involved the destruction of over 500 Palestinian villages, towns, and cities, resulting in the deaths of approximately 15,000 Palestinians. Additionally, around 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes.
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“Without condoning any violence, we must admit that it is the brutal occupation of Palestine which has destroyed the peace and to the present day leads to continuous cycle of bloodshed,” Feldman stressed, pointing to the root cause of violence in the occupied lands.
“We Jews have to show gratitude for the people that have done only good to us,” he said, adding that Jews were “murdered and tortured” in some countries in the past 2000 years, however, it was Muslim and Arab nations that took Jews in their homes.
“It's repugnant and it's against God, instead of showing gratitude to the people of Palestine, to steal their land, and then accuse the people of Palestine, of being evil and wanting to kill Jews. This is all repugnant, and it's not true,” he said.
Public opinion shifting in favor of Palestine
Western countries continue to back the occupation as their mainstream media mainly focuses on the Israeli narration of the conflict without mentioning the root cause of the years-long issue.
However, Feldman, stresses that “Zionists no longer have full control on the narrative.”
The regime “Always tried to demonize the Palestinian people, and divert attention from their crimes,” by claiming Muslims to be “intolerant of everybody,” Feldman said.
“All of this is to legitimize their occupation,” he highlighted, adding, “Public opinion is changing as people learn more about the injustices imposed on Palestinians, for decades.”
