Transcription
of Speech Delivered by Rabbi Aharon Cohen
My very good friends, all of you; we are gathered
today to express our sympathy with and our sorrow
at the tragic plight of the Palestinian people, who
have now been languishing under the heel of a harsh
occupying power for nearly sixty years.
Harsh, not just because of the horrific bloodshed,
which in varying degrees has affected innocent people
on both sides. Harsh, not only because of the deprivation
of property, homes and livelihoods, but chiefly because
they are prisoners in their own land. They have been
deprived of their freedom and right of self-determination.
The occupying power we are talking about is a state
known as "Israel", the rogue state known as "Israel" which
is the brainchild of the movement known as "Zionism",
and the members of which are known as Zionists. I'm
sure you all know that Zionists are mainly people
who were born as Jews but they have strayed from the
path. Their philosophy of Nationalistic Zionism has
nothing to do with the age-old way of life of Judaism
and they in no way can represent authentic Judaism.
I'm here today under the banner of the group known
as Neturei Karta who spread the vital message of the
total and irreconcilable opposition of Orthodox Judaism
to Zionism, both on religious belief grounds and on
the grounds of Jewish religious humanitarian values.Â
Our teaching and belief is that the Jewish people
are destined to be dispersed around the world until
the glory of the Almighty will be revealed to all.Â
We are forbidden in the sternest of terms to try to
change this by the efforts of our own hands. The state
known as
"Israel" flies completely in the face of this belief
and that state has no right to exist. That is, as
far as our religious belief is concerned. Perhaps
more understandable to you is our absolute opposition
to the fierce nationalistic sectarian philosophy in
a land occupied by another people. A philosophy which
must, by its very nature, be devoid of compassion
and consideration for the yearnings of self-determination
by that people in the country they have lived in for
centuries. This again is totally against the teachings
of compassion and consideration which have been handed
down to us through the generations.
So, let me repeat, once again Zionism is not Judaism.Â
Zionism in no way represents the true values of Jews
and Judaism. We must remember that the root cause
of strife in the Middle East is the very existence
of the Zionist state.
Very interesting, I was recently reading a report,
and anyone can read it, in Hansard, which is the official
report of the proceedings of the House of Lords and
the House of Commons. I was reading a report of a
debate that took place in June of 1922 on a motion
that the British mandate as it was set up to help
form the Zionist state in Palestine, was flawed, the
whole idea was flawed. The motion was proposed by
Lord Islington, and was supported by other speakers.
Already eighty or ninety years ago they saw so keenly
the problems that would arise out of Zionism. And
you know that motion, that the mandate in the format
it was, was flawed, was carried by a very large majority.
But we have the constitution in this country that
the House of Commons overrides the House of Lords,
and the House of Commons overrode them.
So, once again the underlying cause of strife in
the Middle East is the very existence of the Zionist
state, because of this and as our previous speaker
said so clearly, we can only pray for an early, speedy
and peaceful total dismantlement of the Zionist state
of Israel, to be replaced by a regime entirely in
accordance with the aspirations of the Palestinian
people in which Jews, Muslims and Christians will
be able to live side by side in harmony as they did
for centuries in all the Arab lands before the advent
of Zionism. My friends, may we very soon reach the
time when all mankind will be at peace with each other
and the glory of the Almighty will be revealed to
all. Amen. |
