Jewish Rabbi Moshe Friedman said that what Israel and the United States are doing against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip represents an “unprecedented process of genocide,” stressing that capable countries must intervene by force to stop this massacre.

Friedman, who is a conservative Haredi Jew, stressed - in an interview with Al Jazeera Net - that his religious and humanitarian duty requires him to raise his voice and do something to stop what is happening, because history “will condemn everyone who remained silent in the face of the bloodbath flowing in the Gaza Strip currently, which exceeds all the massacres of history.” Including the Holocaust.

The former chief rabbi of the Jews of Austria refused to compare what is happening in the Gaza Strip to the massacres witnessed previously in history, and said that the German city of Dresden, which was subjected to massive bombing shortly after World War II, had escape ports, while Gaza had none.

Moreover, Friedman adds, the German city had food, drink, and health services despite the lack of a mechanism to transfer what it was exposed to to the rest of the world, while Gaza was denied everything.

Immediate intervention is required

From this standpoint, what Gaza is currently being exposed to, in Friedman’s opinion, “is completely different from what happened in the past, and should not be dealt with through descriptions or manipulation of words, but rather through the intervention of the world or parties capable of delivering aid by land, sea and air to keep the Palestinians there alive.”

In addition, making these comparisons does not serve the peace process in the first place, from Friedman’s point of view, “because the children in Gaza will gain nothing from these approaches, and they need immediate action to save their lives.”

Friedman said that world governments are required to intervene immediately and unconditionally "to relieve civilians and children trapped in this massacre, without playing with words in order to slow down time."

Counterfeiting the Torah

Regarding the view of some Israelis on the extermination of the people of Gaza as an application of biblical texts, Friedman said that “there is no comparison between what happened in the Torah against the Amalekites and what is happening in Gaza,” stressing that “the extermination of the Amalekites is restricted by conditions, because the Hebrews (during that massacre) forbade besieging the Amalekites” from all directions."

He added, "The siege was imposed on the Amalekites from three sides, while the fourth left them as an escape hatch. Any comparison between the annihilation of Gaza and what happened to the Amalekites is wrong. Moreover, at that time there were no such images of genocide that amounted to complete erasure from the map."

Moreover, the theological and modern opinion of Friedman “was unanimously agreed upon in the time of Chief Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (in Andalusia) that the conditions of what happened to the Amalekites were no longer suitable for repetition,” adding that “the great rabbis believe that implementing the Amalekite conditions requires the existence of two Jewish and Palestinian states so that a decision can be made.” What should be done, while emphasizing that the Palestinians are not Amalek.”

He stressed that from the biblical perspective, the State of Israel “has absolutely no relationship with the current entity, even if this entity amends its policies.”

In view of these biblical data, Friedman asserts that some people issue arbitrary rulings to exterminate an entire race claiming that they are the Amalekites, even though the truth is quite the opposite, according to Friedman, who stressed that “history will condemn all those who hesitated to save these innocents, and those who aborted attempts to save them. Because what is happening is a bloodbath that history has never witnessed before.”

The Court of Justice will not stop the massacre

Friedman expressed his concern about the appointment of the former president of the Supreme Court in Israel as a member of the International Court of Justice, which is examining the case brought by South Africa, because he said publicly that “the killing of 5,000 Palestinians is a legitimate act if it leads to the liquidation of 5 members of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).” .

He added, "This biased statement carries a prejudgment that requires the immediate removal of this judge from the court, and this did not happen despite the fact that the Court of Justice in The Hague is more stringent than all European courts."

Friedman stressed that he is “not comfortable with the work of the court in its entirety,” adding, “Everyone knows that its ruling against Israel will not be implemented and will not provide anything for the people of Gaza,” adding, “There are forces that are biased toward Israel, and others that support the Palestinians, and the latter can intervene forcefully to save people regardless of the positions of others.” .

Regarding the Palestinian tragedy in general, Friedman said that it will not end on its own and that others must end it, adding, “All international and humanitarian forces must put an end to what is happening in Gaza so that it will be the beginning of what is to come, because the occupation will not end on its own.”

History condemns Biden

He said that history will condemn US President Joe Biden for what he does and does not do regarding this genocide, and that he must not place obstacles in the way of those who try to stop what is happening if he is afraid of stopping it, adding, "What is happening will have catastrophic repercussions on the entire world."

He concluded by saying that he does not want to distract attention from what is happening in Gaza by talking about other matters, stressing that what concerns him now is "pushing the world towards saving the innocent people who are helpless."

Source: Al Jazeera