Shas spiritual leader: Abbas and Palestinians should perish from this world

[IndianaGreen]

Shas spiritual leader: Abbas and Palestinians should perish from this world

Army Radio reports Rabbi Ovadia Yosef denounces Palestinians as bitter enemies of Israel ahead of upcoming direct peace talks.

Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef denounced upcoming peace talks with the Palestinians, which are set to start September 2 in Washington, and called for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to "perish from this world," Army Radio reported overnight Saturday.

"Abu Mazen and all these evil people should perish from this world," Rabbi Ovadia was quoted as saying during his weekly sermon at a synagogue near his Jerusalem home. "God should strike them with a plague, them and these Palestinians."

The Shas spiritual leader also called the Palestinians "evil, bitter enemies of Israel" during his speech, which is not the rabbi's first sermon to spark controversy.

In 2001, the spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox faction gave a speech in which he also called for Arabs' annihilation.

"It is forbidden to be merciful to them," he was quoted as saying. "You must send missiles to them and annihilate them. They are evil and damnable."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/shas-spiritual-leader-abbas-and-palestinians-should-perish-from-this-world-1.310800

Zionism at its best!

[applegrove]

1. I hope the Israeli leaders all have huge security details.

[Violet_Crumble]

2. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Shas is part of the Nutty coalition, aren't they?

That's really damn scary...

Here's a link to an OP I posted last week about extremists in the mainstream...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x330970

[sabbat hunter]

4. unfortunately

Shas has been a part of many of Israeli governments over the years, Labor, Kadima and Likud included. They are sadly a small but powerful block that can make or break a coalition government.

I personally would love to see election reform in Israel that would weaken the power of the small parties by going to a system closer to what they have in England.

[LeftishBrit]

5. Agreed - though England is too much at the other extreme

Too much proportional representation and its complete lack can be very similar in producing unrepresentative governments, and giving too much power to unrepresentative minorities.

[Violet_Crumble]

3. I was just reading about his 2001 speech...

He claims he was misunderstood and meant Arab terrorists, and not all Arabs. Sound familiar? ;)

[LeftishBrit]

6. AARRRGGGGGGHHHH!!!! Just disgusting!

'Zionism at its best!'

I would instead say 'The Religious Right at its best!'

Zionism involves a lot more than the Jewish Religious Right, but the latter do have a poisonous influence on the country's policies. The Jewish Right, Christian Right and Muslim Right have quite a bit in common, and are all nasty!

[whosinpower]

7. I agree with you - it is religious right at its best

I wonder if anyone asked him this -
"If God does NOT destroy them all with a plague.....does that mean that is God's way of saying - YOU DO NOT SPEAK FOR ME......"

If God does not strike them all down....does that mean that God rejects this guy's "spiritual leadership?"