400-plus rabbis, cantors oppose E1 plans
Advertisements
December 19, 2012
More than 400 rabbis, cantors, and rabbinical and cantorial students from around the country — including some 20 from New Jersey — have signed onto an open letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposing plans announced in early December to advance construction of settlements in the E1 area of the West Bank and authorize the building of thousands of new housing units in east Jerusalem.
The text of the letter claims that the move undermines the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state and the prospects for reaching a two-state solution, while damaging United States-Israel relations.
“We fear that building settlements in E1 would be the final blow to a peaceful solution,” the letter says, while expressing concern that “the current situation in the occupied territories violates Palestinian human rights and undercuts the very values on which Israel was founded — democracy, liberty, justice, and peace.”
The letter appeal was coordinated by Americans for Peace Now, J Street, and Rabbis for Human Rights-North America.
Among the NJ rabbis who signed the letter are Elliott Tepperman, Montclair; Ruth Gais, Summit; Leonard Levin, South Orange; Steven Kushner, Bloomfield; Richard Hammerman, Caldwell; Mark Mallach, Springfield; Darby Leigh, Montclair; and Charles Kroloff, Westfield.
Comments
ROSENBERG
December 19, 2012
“Construction in E1 would violate repeated commitments that Israeli governments have made to the United States since 1994 not to build there,” according to J Street spokesperson Jessica Rosenblum.
A J Street statement noted that the letter “has been signed by more than 400 rabbis from 38 states and the District of Columbia. The majority of the signers are congregational leaders.”
The letter was coordinated by Americans for Peace Now, J Street and Rabbis for Human Rights-North America.
Against the background of the government’s decision to build in Ramat Shlomo and the E-1 zone, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin sent a message to his acquaintances around the world saying that construction in Jerusalem is not subject to negotiations.“In any conceivable political arrangement, Israel will not cede control of E-1.”
The supposed 2 state solution is only a pretext to prevent the natural expansion and growth of Israel, in actuality, weakening Israel for the next attack. Let the the Islamists formally recognize Israel and it’s right to exist then Israel might be pressured into some accommodation with their enemies. BTW Where is the rabbinical outrage over the US government embracing Islamists Fascists in the form of the Muslim brotherhood in Egypt? Have they forgotten that Haj Amin al-Husseini of the Muslim Brotherhood worked in the then British Mandate Palestine with Hitler in disseminating anti-Semitic and anti-Western propaganda. Further as an example, Haj Amin al-Husseini, Mufti of Jerusalem said on Berlin Radio March 1, 1944 “Kill the Jews wherever you find them. This pleases God, history and religion.” Perhaps they need to be reminded that Sadat was assassinated after he arrested Brotherhood leadership. Do they fawn now over President Morisi because he was “democratically” elected? Did they forget that Hitler was also democratically elected in 1933, the Nazis receiving the largest percentage of votes thus empowered to orchestrate a coalition putting Hitler in power.On his election as Egyptian President, Morsi pledged to work for the release of the Blind Sheik, Omar Abdel Rahman currently in jail for life for the first World Trade Center attack, and other attempted terrorism on the bridges and tunnels of New York City. Where is their outrage over this doozy: http://frontpagemag.com/2012/dgreenfield/musl More ...importantly, just because Morisi was elected in a democratic election, does not exonerate him or change is virulent anti-semitic sentiments and actions Read this
http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/1203 RABBI… DR. BERNHARD ROSENBERG, PRESIDENT ISRAEL ADVOCACY TASK FORCE
Mary T Anderson
December 19, 2012
Your comments are so well-stated. The Palestinians already have a huge country. It’s called Jordan!
I lived in Jericho, a “Palestinian” town, for three years. Bus loads of Arabs arrived in Jericho daily to go over the Allenby Bridge to Jordan on business, or to show off a new baby to doting family members in Jordan.
I am still in touch with good Arab friends in Jericho, so I’m not writing out of prejudice.
Mary T Anderson