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Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger (File).
Last update - 12:29 29/01/2008
Report: Chief Rabbi says move Gazans to a Palestine in Sinai
By Saul Sadka
Tags: Yona Metzger, U.K. Jewry 

London - Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger has been quoted as calling for Gazans to be transferred to the Sinai Peninsula, to a Palestinian state which he said could be constructed for them in the desert.

In an interview in English with the British weekly The Jewish News, the chief rabbi also said that while peaceable Muslims should be allowed to pray in Jerusalem mosques, they should recognize that Jerusalem belongs to the Jews. Muslims have Mecca and Medina, he was quoted as saying, adding that "you don't need a third place."

Metzger called for Britain, the European Union and the United States to assist in the construction of a Palestinian state in Egypt's Sinai Desert.

According to Metzger, the plan would be to "take all the poor people from Gaza to move them to a wonderful new modern country with trains buses cars, like in Arizona - we are now in a generation where you can take a desert and build a city. This will be a solution for the poor people - they will have a nice county, and we shall have our country and we shall live in peace."

Metzger was quoted as telling the paper that the plan was new and he had not presented it to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

"I have thought about it with some wise people only in the last two weeks, and I think it is a great idea - nobody spoke about it before." He expressed his intent to discuss the matter with Olmert and anticipated that the idea would find popularity among Israelis. He prefaced his comments by pointing out that he could not advise on political matters as he is a religious leader in Israel, noting that according to the law he "cannot be involved in political situations."


Watch Yona Metzger's comments


Muslims 'don't need a third place
Metzger also called for Muslims to have the freedom to return to pray in mosques on condition that they do so peaceably: "We will welcome every Palestinian man who wants to pray in his mosque. Every Friday they can come, but with one condition, without violence. We have the same feeling about prayers, we want to give you respect but let us live and believe our land is the Holy Land and Jerusalem belongs to us. You have another place, Mecca and Medina, you don't need a third place."

In the interview Metzger also described Jerusalem as "the capital city forever to the Jewish nation." He argued that Muslims have no connection to Jerusalem commenting that "behind the Kotel we have a mosque. But when they pray even though they are in our holiest place, they face Mecca. Their back is to Jerusalem. So you can see from only one sign that it does not belong to them. They have nothing - no connection."

The tenure of Metzger, 54, appointed as chief rabbi in 2003 for a ten-year term, has been marked by controversy. In 2006 Attorney General Menachem Mazuz called on him to resign his post in a report which alleged that he had accepted discounted hospitality at a number of Israeli hotels - a call that Metzger rejected.

Metzger has also proposed the establishment of a "religious United Nations" comprised of religious leaders from around the world, and was named one of the 12 most influential international religious figures in a recent CBS documentary entitled In God's Name.

Video of the interview is available by clicking here.
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  1.   WHY NOT? 15:02  |  Kooky Dennt 28/01/08
  2.   Jewsih Holy men. 15:11  |  Ginger 28/01/08
  3.   Great idea - sooner the better 15:13  |  Jewish State 28/01/08
  4.   I`m no fan of Muslims but... 15:15  |  Michael Steiner 28/01/08
  5.   Yalla Arabs Ruh , Go To Sinaii , To Mecca , To Hell , 16:05  |  Joseph . E 28/01/08
  6.   Israel of the unresigned 16:07  |  sh 28/01/08
  7.   More Religious Racism from Israel 16:54  |  POP 28/01/08
  8.   to Joseph - Jewish state? 16:58  |  SJ 28/01/08
  9.   Subject from/to G.R. Yona Metzer 17:20  |  Mr. ISRAEL Marek 28/01/08
  10.   Interesting ideas,should be studied 17:25  |  TOMY 28/01/08
  11.   Moses could have said it better...! 17:27  |  Stephen. 28/01/08
  12.   RACIST RABBI 17:33  |  JH 28/01/08
  13.   Sad sad comments 17:34  |  Dave 28/01/08
  14.   Gazans need a new safe place to build Kassam rockets 18:08  |  avigdor 28/01/08
  15.   Now I can see the humane side of the jews 18:10  |  omolll 28/01/08
  16.   Metzger is being generous with what Israel does not have 18:12  |  sh 28/01/08
  17.   How about that "I have a dream" !!! 18:20  |  Harry 28/01/08
  18.   I`ve always had a somewhat similar idea - I`d like your opinion 18:29  |  Conroy 28/01/08
  19.   Is this guy serious? Did he forget to take his prozac? 18:37  |  Ali Haidar 28/01/08
  20.   Metzger As Moses In Reverse 18:38  |  Yaakov Sullivan 28/01/08
  21.   Great idea, Pals get Sinai, Jews to Uganda 18:47  |  Bongbong Mbasingo 28/01/08
  22.   The Rabbi is right in what he means.. 18:57  |  Akram Zekaria 28/01/08
  23.   Obvious way to end the war and bring peace 18:59  |  David 28/01/08
  24.   All civilized nations will eventualy have to expell their Muslims 19:04  |  David 28/01/08
  25.   No politics for rabbis ???? LOL 19:05  |  David 28/01/08
  26.   This is wisdom?? Rabbi`s ain`t what they used to be. 19:07  |  Voice of Reason 28/01/08
  27.   Really, and where did this man come from, Poland 19:23  |  El-Birawi 28/01/08
  28.   ALL civilized nations should get rid off USA 19:33  |  Jay 28/01/08
  29.   And the civilized Germans thought the same thing of Jews 19:43  |  El-Birawi 28/01/08
  30.   reply to no 1 WHY NOT? WHY NOT!!! 19:44  |  realist 28/01/08
  31.   Hopefully 19:47  |  Axel 28/01/08
  32.   Racism!? 19:49  |  Peter 28/01/08
  33.   Don`t "Ask the Rabbi"! 19:52  |  Ussishkin 28/01/08
  34.   A rabbi now openly supporting ethnic cleansing of Gaza! OMG! 19:53  |  Jewish Girl 28/01/08
  35.   Arab religious racism, demanding 3 holy cities, while denying 19:56  |  Genuine Tosefta 28/01/08
  36.   What is next? World`s Jews deported to Israel? 20:00  |  Pablo B 28/01/08
  37.   Well,Rabbi should not have expressed political opinion only Imams 20:02  |  Genuine Tosefta 28/01/08
  38.   World turned on its head when Rabbi voices political opinions 20:05  |  Genuine Tosefta 28/01/08
  39.   palestine in sinai 20:05  |  jose marcio 28/01/08
  40.   Countless Imams and politics OK, One Rabbi doing same, God Forbid 20:07  |  Genuine Tosefta 28/01/08
  41.   Hitler also had religious leaders like this 20:08  |  Human 28/01/08
  42.   Earth calling Chief Rabbi - what planet are you on? 20:11  |  Michael 28/01/08
  43.   `I went to my Rabbi for advice` 20:15  |  Franco Biltner 28/01/08
  44.   A racist Rabbi, what next? A peace accord. 20:16  |  Samantha 28/01/08
  45.   great idea!!! 20:21  |  g. 28/01/08
  46.   Move Israel to North Dakota 20:36  |  Shalom 28/01/08
  47.   What "Racist" has come to mean 21:04  |  Scharker Yid 28/01/08
  48.   move them on 21:11  |  Moshe 28/01/08
  49.   Lets not call names, which part is wrong??? 21:16  |  TOMY 28/01/08
  50.   send them to sinai 21:20  |  yuval 28/01/08
  51.   Some senseful comments that one must expect from a rabbi 21:21  |  Moshe 28/01/08
  52.   #34 Jewish girl,Why are you so disterbed ??? 21:24  |  TOMY 28/01/08
  53.   Chief Rabbi 21:24  |  Eli 28/01/08
  54.   With rabbis it`s the same as with most trades: 21:26  |  Andreas 28/01/08
  55.   Rabbi says empty Gaza of people 21:30  |  Warren 28/01/08
  56.   Jewish fatwa 21:30  |  W 28/01/08
  57.   "Jews to Uganda", why not? 21:32  |  Mahmoud 28/01/08
  58.   Religious leader 21:32  |  Warren 28/01/08
  59.   Just ship them out to the desert - cute, really cute! 21:33  |  Joe 28/01/08
  60.   It was false said 21:37  |  Marcelo 28/01/08
  61.   discrimination and racism, no limit 21:41  |  ana 28/01/08
  62.   # 49 are you always that generous with 21:45  |  Kris 28/01/08
  63.   Rabid Rabbi 21:47  |  Knott Bushman 28/01/08
  64.   Axel#31 21:50  |  roland 28/01/08
  65.   An unfit rabbi acts as a politician 22:04  |  Tosefta 28/01/08
  66.   One problem with your idea, Shalom # 46 22:07  |  Clickfool 28/01/08
  67.   Shalom - Are you going to tell the Gazans to leave 22:08  |  a 28/01/08
  68.   This is actually a great idea.... 22:09  |  viking 28/01/08
  69.   And this is your "Chief Rabbi", well done. 22:10  |  Alexander 28/01/08
  70.   Moving Palestinens 22:11  |  Forest Gump 28/01/08
  71.   You go Rabbi. 22:11  |  LA Jew