President Shimon Peres today sharply condemned the call by rabbis not to sell or rent apartments to Arabs. "The rabbis' statement creates a fundamental moral crisis in the State of Israel that touches on the substance and content of the state as a Jewish and democratic state," he said.
"I see no conflict between democracy and Judaism. Every human being was created in God's image, this is one of the principles of Judaism and the basis of democracy. In the State of Israel reside Jewish citizens and non-Jewish citizens, and we all have the same rights, including the right to be different, and to have a different religion."
Peres continued, "This right is set out in the Declaration of Independence and in Knesset legislation, which set the character, conduct, and priorities of the State of Israel. I call for the preservation of the true democratic, Jewish, and egalitarian nature of the State of Israel. This affects our lives,"
The rabbis' letter also caused an uproar in the Knesset. This morning, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin ejected MK Talab El-Sana from the plenum, after El-Sana called the rabbis "scum of the earth", and said, "They are not rabbis, but racists."
MK El-Sana asked Minister of Interior Eli Yishai, who was speaking from the dais, why he did not condemn the rabbis. Yishai replied that the Palestinian Authority executed anyone who sold homes to Jews, to which El-Sana responded, "We're in Israel, and the law forbids racial incitement."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the rabbis letter. At a Bible quiz for adults held this yesterday evening he said, "How would we feel if someone would say not to sell apartments to Jews? We would protest and we do protest when they say it in neighboring countries. Such things must not be said about Jews or Arabs. They cannot be said in any democratic state and certainly not in a Jewish and democratic state that respects the morality of Jewish heritage and the Bible. Therefore, the State of Israel rejects these remarks outright."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 8, 2010
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2010