Settler Rabbi: Killing Civilians Permitted

[Classical_Liberal]

Settler Rabbi: Killing Civilians Permitted<
By EETTA PRINCE-GIBSON
May 28, 2004


JERUSALEM — A top rabbinic leader of the West Bank settler movement declared last week that the Israeli military is "permitted" under Jewish religious law to kill "ostensibly innocent" civilians in the course of warfare, and that feelings of guilt over such deaths reflect "the morality of unbelievers."

Rabbi Dov Lior, chairman of the Council of Rabbis of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, issued the permission on May 18 as a formal ruling of halacha, or rabbinic law. "It is permissible for the Israel Defense Forces to attack in the course of warfare a civilian population that is ostensibly innocent of wrongdoing," Lior wrote. "The law of our Torah is to have mercy upon and save our civilians and our soldiers, and this is the true morality of the Torah of Israel, and one should not feel guilt out of the morality of unbelievers."

The statement prompted a storm of protests. Knesset member Ran Cohen of Meretz said Lior "defiles the meaning of being a rabbi and is sacrificing the IDF's ethical military behavior on the altar of his extremism." The Jerusalem office of the Anti-Defamation League said it was "shocked and outraged" by Lior's remarks. The league urged him in a letter to "consider the impact" his words have "as a religious leader."

The daily Ma'ariv quoted "close associates" of Lior as saying his ruling was issued at a public gathering at Jerusalem's Mercaz Harav yeshiva marking the celebration of Jerusalem Day, and was not related to recent events in Gaza. Lior is chief rabbi of the West Bank Jewish township of Kiryat Arba.....

http://www.forward.com/main/article.php?ref=prince-gibson20040527106

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Congratulations, Rabbi. You finally found a common denominator with

the PLO, Hamas, and Fatah. See? You CAN agree on essential principles.

[Trajan]

2. This is news ? ...

Heck: this has been a staple of certain I/P forum posters for years now ....

You gotta chuckle at the term 'ostensibly innocent' ... Since when does an 'ostensibly innocent' arab exist ? ... EVERY ONE of them are evil spawn of satan, right ? ...

Even the wittle muslim babies .... Should they NOT be killed by superior and holy Israeli weaponry to rid the world of their guilty, evil, satanic existence ? ....

</sarcasm>

[Vladimir]

3. Different racist, same racism n/t

[The Magistrate]

4. This Lior Critter....

Is indistinguishable from the late Yassin, and the sooner they are joined in whatever abode is prepared for such creatures beyond this vale of tears, the better for all people concerned....

[Comadreja]

5. Blow him up?

Why don't we ask the IOF to assasinate the kook with a US missile launched from a US chopper. No trial needed, right?

"Jewish villages were built in the place of Arab villages. You do not even know the names of these Arab villages, and I don't blame you because geography books no longer exist, not only do the books not exist, .The Arab villages are not there either. Nahal arose in the place of Mahlul; Kibbutz Gvat in the place of Jibat; Kibbutz Sarid in the place of Huneifis; and Kfar Yehushu'a in the place of Tal al Shuman. There is not one single place that did not have a former Arab population." Moshe Dayan's address to the Technion, Haifa (as Quoted in Haaretz, April 4, 1969).

[The Magistrate]

6. You Will Find Me, Sir, Generally Indifferent As To Method

The fundamentalist, whatever his particular stripe, is the common enemy of humankind....

[bemildred]

9. Something efficient is more civilized, no point in letting them linger. nt

[Vladimir]

11. Is it really worth martyring him?

Purely practical question, I have no problem whatsoever with fundamentalists getting offed as such - but I am not sure it would add anything positive to the situation.

[newyorican]

10. Somehow I doubt...

the "500 pound bomb on the apartment building" solution will not employed in this case...just a hunch...

[newyorican]

7. Unfortunately, to some here....

this isn't the enemy...quite the opposite...

[number6]

8. sweet

"Israeli military is "permitted" under Jewish religious law to kill "ostensibly innocent" civilians in the course of warfare, and that feelings of guilt over such deaths reflect "the morality of unbelievers."

just dandy :eyes: :crazy: :silly:

actually just wack-o

lets change a few words

Hamas Militants are "permitted" under Jehad religious law to kill "ostensibly innocent" civilians bla bla

[bemildred]

16. That is a new term: "ostensibly innocent".

Makes me think of Scalia somehow, "mere factual innocence".

[drdon326]

12. I am more than happy to denounce him.......

and I doubt I'm alone.

"The statement prompted a storm of protests. Knesset member Ran Cohen of Meretz said Lior "defiles the meaning of being a rabbi and is sacrificing the IDF's ethical military behavior on the altar of his extremism." The Jerusalem office of the Anti-Defamation League said it was "shocked and outraged" by Lior's remarks. The league urged him in a letter to "consider the impact" his words have "as a religious leader."

This person was denounced almost immediately. Now compare that to the relentless hatred and anti-semitism spewed over palestinian tv and radio that I have posted ad nauseum.Where is the outrage over these
religious leaders peddling this hate?

[Classical_Liberal]

13. There were actually alot of editorials in Arab media

denouncing the killings of the settler family. The PA denounced it officially. There was even a admonition from the PA over returning the body parts of the dead soldiers. It was published here by itself and in response to your thread. When are the israelis going to stop supporting settler fanatics? When are they going to bring them home to Israel?

[Djinn]

14. why would you though

you've stated that you're more than happy for the IDF to fire into crowds during protests - presumably that doesn't even make it to the "ostensibly" mark??

[newyorican]

15. one word...

posturing...