Rabbis tell Biden it is time to recognize the “land for peace policy” as an exercise in futility and consider a new route
Rabbis tell Biden it is time to recognize the “land for peace policy” as an exercise in futility and consider a new route
A Palestinian state is a prescription for bloodshed
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Tel Aviv – Towards the arrival of U.S. President Joe Biden in Israel,
the Rabbinical Congress for Peace-Pikuach Nefesh (RCP) has launched a
wide-ranged campaign with full-page ads in major English newspapers in
Israel and worldwide web in which it sends a clear cut message to the
President:
Territorial concessions will not lead to peace but G-d forbid to bloodshed and instability in the region.
The RCP in the name of its 400 members express their deep appreciation
for the President’s efforts to reach a true and viable peace agreement
between Israel and its neighbors and wish him success in this noble
endeavor. At the same time they warn against any Israeli territorial
concessions. “The last 30 years have proven that the “land for peace”
formula is an exercise in futility,” a formula for increased terrorism
and a means of pushing peace further away,” the rabbis warn.
Furthermore, “any negotiations based on Israeli territorial concessions,
especially for the creation of a Palestinian state, will only embolden
our enemies to strike at us with further determination through terror
attacks, boycotts, and international anti-Israel campaigns,” the ad
says.
The rabbis cite the Halachic ruling in the Jewish Code of Law (Orach
Chaim, sec. 329) which is based on the principle of sanctity of life,
namely: Whenever a Jewish city is threatened by foreigners its townsmen
are not only permitted but are obligated to arm themselves, even on the
Sabbath, and prevent them from entering their city.
The rabbis state that it is time for American foreign policy-makers to
abandon the futile “land for peace” formula and consider a new foreign
policy route. The only way the U.S. can serve as an effective mediator
is by declaring outright that there will never be Israeli territorial
concessions nor will a Palestinian state ever be established alongside
Israel, the RCP said.
