Message from Rabbi Ahron Cohen of Neturei Karta
Al-quds day 2010 - London UK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otuhWkIwemw
4th Sep. '10
- Greetings to all of you gathered here today.
- I and my colleagues are Orthodox Jews, speaking under
the banner of the group known as Neturei Karta, the group
which tries to explain and publicise the Orthodox Jewish
opposition to Zionism. Zionism, as I am sure you know,
being the philosophy and movement which brought into being
the so called “State of Israel”.
- I am speaking to you via a video made some days ago because
today is our Sabbath and for religious reasons we may not
make use of a microphone on the Sabbath.
- Al-Quds day is the day when we remember and feel the
injustice of the unilateral Zionist control of the city
of Jerusalem.
- The day which recalls and highlights the immorality and
illegality of the whole Zionist State and enterprise. A
State, which is based on a total disregard for the Palestinians”
accepted claim for self determination in Palestine, and
in particular their claim for Jerusalem.
- We are gathering in order to show support and help alleviate
to some degree, the terrible and tragic suffering of the
Palestinian people, which carries on and on as a festering
sore.
- This Zionist enterprise has led to a continuous 100 year
chain of confrontation, violence and suffering. In particular
for the Palestinian People, but, I must say, also for many
Jews faithful to the age old tenets of their religion and
way of life.
- The philosophy and actions of the Zionists are
perceived in the world as being a Jewish philosophy and
Jewish actions.
- However, my message to you today is that not
all Jews are Zionists. In fact the authentic
Jewish teaching is that Zionism and Judaism are two totally
differing and incompatible concepts.
- Authentic Orthodox Jews oppose Zionism totally, sympathise
entirely with the Palestinian cause and protest vehemently
the wrongs done to them. One of the purposes of this message
is to help reduce the sordid stain which Zionism has imposed
on the Jewish People.
- The vast majority of Jewish Religious authorities and
lay people rejected Zionism from its inception. This is
the genuine age old Jewish view. Sadly, this is now a minority
view, never the less it is still a significant one and
widely held. It is the only authentic Jewish view
which has the authority of history.
- Orthodox Jewish opposition to Zionism is based firstly on
religious belief grounds (appreciated more among the Jewish
People themselves) preaching that Zionism is a rebellion
against the will of the A-lmighty, that the Jewish People
are in a divinely decreed state of exile which we are forbidden
to try to bring to an end with our own efforts, and secondly on
grounds of Jewish religious values of humanitarianism (grounds
which are appreciated by anyone and everyone).
- When you observe what appear to be Orthodox Jews supporting
Zionism, you should know that their philosophy and ideas
are a tragic distortion of Judaism, totally foreign to
the teachings handed down through the generations, long
before Zionism existed.
- Zionism, with its aim of a State for the benefit of a
specific group in someone else's land, is by definition
a sectarian and racist philosophy. Having, as I mentioned
earlier, from its foundation, a total disregard for Palestinian
hopes of self determination in the land they had occupied
for centuries. Leading on to a disregard for their livelihoods,
homes and lives. Zionism by definition is a shocking contravention
of humanitarian values, aiming to override by force, if
necessary, any opposition.
- Zionism is wrong morally. It is also wrong logically.
It was, from its inception, bound to produce confrontation,
bloodshed, death and destruction for both Arab and Jew.
This has in fact been the picture for 100 years up to the
present day.
- Zionists in no way truly represent the Jewish People,
as they claim.
- Furthermore, anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism. If anything
Zionists and Zionism are the cause of
modern anti-Semitism.
- Charges and accusations as to which side in the conflict
is currently to blame, are irrelevant. We in no way wish
to condone violence, but to eradicate violence one has
to seek out the root cause. The majority of international
observers including the government of this country, omit
to appreciate the basic cause of the problem, namely Zionism
and its State. There is no doubt that the very existence
of the illegitimate Zionist State of “Israel” is the underlying
cause of strife in the Middle East and there will be no
peace unless and until this cause disappears.
- This illegitimate State cannot last, falsehood must come
to an end. It is wrong to say one cannot reverse what are
called 'facts on the ground' How it will come to an end
we do not know, but we pray for a speedy, total and peaceful
dismantling of the concept of the Zionist State, to be
replaced by a just regime in which Arab and Jew can live
together peacefully as in previous times.
May we then merit the time when the glory of the A-lmighty
will be revealed over the whole universe and there will be
peace among the whole of mankind.
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