"British Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks set off a storm of controversy in mostly right-wing British Jewish circles Tuesday, after he told The Guardian newspaper that the Middle East conflict has forced Israel to adopt a stance that conflicts with the ideals of Judaism. Sacks said that the current situation in Israel has caused the country to adopt a stance `incompatible` with the `deepest ideals` of Judaism and that the current Palestinian conflict is corrupting Israeli culture. `There is no question that this kind of prolonged conflict, together with the absence of hope, generates hatreds and insensitivities that in the long run are corrupting to a culture,` he told The Guardian." in "Calls for U.K. chief rabbi to quit for criticizing Israel", by Sharon Sadeh, Ha`aretz Correspondent, Haaretz, August 28, 2002.
"We are heading downhill towards near-catastrophe. If we go on living by the sword, we will continue to wallow in the mud and destroy ourselves." Yaakov Perry, former Head of the Shin Bet (1988-1995), in "Israel`s hard men fight for peace", www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/nov/30/israel |
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