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Rabbinic fatwas
By Haaretz Editorial
Tags: fatwas

The massacre at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva seems to have shocked the religious community more than previous terrorist attacks, and they have responded accordingly. In recent days a number of halakhic instructions have been issued seeking to widen the division between Jews and Arabs. Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, among the most important rabbis in the ultra-Orthodox community, ordered a complete stop to employing Arabs in yeshivas; the head of the Council of Rabbis of Judea and Samaria, Rabbi Dov Lior, ruled that employing Arabs must stop in general, and that even renting them homes should stop.

The two rabbis justify their rulings on the need to safeguard lives in view of the massacre, and not on hatred of Arabs. But there is a difference between the two: Kanievsky limits his ruling to employing Arabs in yeshivas, and he may genuinely hope this will narrow the threat to lives. But Lior broadens it to the general employment of Arabs and even to renting them apartments, which raises concerns that this is a way of taking advantage of the massacre and fear of Arabs to spread a view aiming to expel the Arabs from the country by creating conditions that encourage such a flight. Lior's rulings also appear to incite racism.

Both rulings should be rejected completely because both call for disproportionate collective punishment. One murderer, who was not employed in the yeshiva where he carried out the massacre, and even some of the other acts of terrorism carried out by Israeli Arabs in recent years, should not result in a general boycott of the Arab community. It is neither right nor ethical, and will only exacerbate the hatred that already exists between the two peoples. After all, the Arabs who will not be able to find jobs because of their national identity will not be encouraged by this to be more supportive of Israel.
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It is no coincidence that the broad Israeli public, the people who do not obey halakhic rulings, did not even consider the possibility, even after the shock of the massacre, to retaliate by targeting the employment of Arabs or their freedom of movement among us. As such, these rulings are not an expression of public sentiment but extremist ideological rulings that seek to raise the wall higher and augment the hatred between the two peoples.

These rulings also heighten a dangerous process in which a national conflict between two peoples that can be resolved by compromise is transformed into a religious conflict where extremist halakhic rulings and fatwas - their Islamic counterparts - prevent compromise and perpetuate hatred.

It is particularly puzzling when such statements are made by the rabbi representing the people who choose to live in the territories, very near a large Arab population. Does Lior really want the settlements to be enclaves that have no interaction with the population in whose proximity they exist?

It would be appropriate for the rabbis to take advantage of their standing to restore calm and step up security at the yeshivas, and not leave them unguarded. And mostly, to confront the roots of the conflict and the need to develop a dialogue between the peoples and religions in an effort to spur compromises and not eternal wars in which each side is convinced that the goal dictated by its faith is total submission.
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  1.   excellent editorial; I totally agree 10:56  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 21/03/08
  2.   Haaretz 11:00  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 21/03/08
  3.   The gunman committed a crime and he is dead now 11:09  |  Natallie Durson 21/03/08
  4.   Settlement in the American West 11:16  |  Johnny Weintraub 21/03/08
  5.   Leftists in Ramat Aviv should hire arabs 11:55  |  Binyamin Dissen 21/03/08
  6.   Fatwas 12:02  |  Naim S. Mahlab 21/03/08
  7.   Rabbinic Ruling 12:05  |  Lev 21/03/08
  8.   A RANDOM ATTACK OR NOT? 12:10  |  indrajaya 21/03/08
  9.   A RANDOM ATTACK OR NOT? 12:10  |  indrajaya 21/03/08
  10.   #6 naim and the fatal mistake of a right to ! 12:26  |  v hardman 21/03/08
  11.   FATWAS FROM 2008 YEARS AGO 12:28  |  indrajaya 21/03/08
  12.   but ! 12:37  |  ... 21/03/08
  13.   Haaretz, You Just Don`t Het It! 13:17  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  14.   What Exactly Is Being Taught In These Schools? 13:26  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  15.   If you want to hire Arabs you go right ahead. 13:34  |  Jew 21/03/08
  16.   Was any poll conducted among Israeli Arabs.. 13:51  |  Hastaroth 21/03/08
  17.   Rabbies do what the terrorist wanted 14:10  |  Ernst 21/03/08
  18.   Rabbinic fatwas 14:13  |  Julian 21/03/08
  19.   Jerusalem arabs are not Israeli-Arabs.. 14:17  |  Rami 21/03/08
  20.   other rabbis calles for the assasination of Israeli-Arab leaders. 14:19  |  Rami 21/03/08
  21.   Malhab you`re right, so ... 14:35  |  Goldenberg 21/03/08
  22.   Lots of inaccuracies.. 14:35  |  Buzaglow 21/03/08
  23.   to Haaretz 14:44  |  a MOTHER 21/03/08
  24.   Poll Shows 85% of PA Arabs Support Terror 15:06  |  Binyamin Dissen 21/03/08
  25.   #13 Yaakov Sullivan, Your ignorance about Israeli Political life 15:25  |  Haham me Bat Yam 21/03/08
  26.   To Yaakov & Natallie. Feelings 15:27  |  Altalena 21/03/08
  27.   This is shameful and I blame Israel ... 15:28  |  Dutch 21/03/08
  28.   Buzaglow, if you argue thus then.... 15:35  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  29.   to # 16: We israeli arabs are saddened by the killing 15:37  |  Rami 21/03/08
  30.   Only Few Rabbis Ever Made Intellectual Innovations 15:41  |  D. Solhen 21/03/08
  31.   to # 1 and 2: What bothers me the most is.. 15:44  |  Rami 21/03/08
  32.   # 13 Yaakov Sullivan,You are ignorant and illiterate in history. 15:47  |  Max Zinger,P.Chimist 21/03/08
  33.   What goes around comes around 16:16  |  Gee 21/03/08
  34.   Anger IS Misplaced: Should Be Directed At SHAS 16:31  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 21/03/08
  35.   HaHam from Bat Yam Not So HaHam #25 16:31  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  36.   Do unto thy neighbor.... 16:41  |  Esther 21/03/08
  37.   No to Rabbinic Fatwas AND Appeasers` Fatwas 16:54  |  Tod Zuckerman 21/03/08
  38.   altalena on dancing in the streets 16:55  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  39.   Rami, it only works one way for Israeli leaders 16:58  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  40.   Yes and no! 17:04  |  Joe 21/03/08
  41.   Employing Arabs 17:14  |  Joseph 21/03/08
  42.   Who is really ignorant and illiterate? 17:21  |  Frank 21/03/08
  43.   Let us understand and respect the Orthos´ sorrow 17:24  |  AliciaYasmeen 21/03/08
  44.   #32 Max Zinger, P. Chimist, Diplomacy 101 17:38  |  Dutch 21/03/08
  45.   Palestinian Muslims forbid to rent or sale houses to Jews 17:39  |  Joe 21/03/08
  46.   Since 85% of Arabs applaud the massacre, it is safer not to emplo 17:44  |  Chaim 21/03/08
  47.   Now, Joe Lets Be Honest #43 18:01  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  48.   Haaretz is Undermining My Argument! Wahhh! 18:01  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  49.   Furthermore, Joe The Jews of Baghdad #45 18:03  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  50.   #44 doris where is the un partition line? 18:07  |  v hardman 21/03/08
  51.   Clarification on #38 18:09  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  52.   Clarification on #39 18:16  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  53.   #3 Disagreeing With Natallie Durson 18:24  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  54.   Yaakov 38. Dancing & rejoicing 18:37  |  Altalena 21/03/08
  55.   False Sullivan At It Again #51 No Clarification Needed 18:47  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  56.   More False Sullivan Whitwashing #52 18:48  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  57.   This is not a "collective punishment" 18:51  |  Gene 21/03/08
  58.   False Sullivan #53 Distorts the Meanng of Zionism Again 18:51  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  59.   It SHOULD lead to Arab leaders condemning the Massacre of Jews 18:59  |  David 21/03/08
  60.   The arab death cult 19:19  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  61.   #56 I Agree 19:45  |  Yaackov Sullivan 21/03/08
  62.   Why expect othrodox jews to be better than radical moslems? 19:50  |  Voice of Reason 21/03/08
  63.   Israel is more and more becoming a fashistic country 19:53  |  Habakuk 21/03/08
  64.   #58 False Sullivan Distort the Meaning of the Palestinian Cause 20:10  |  Yaakov Sullivan 21/03/08
  65.   It is all a big misunderstanding... 20:24  |  Tosefta 21/03/08
  66.   HaAretz fatwas 20:26  |  Frank 21/03/08
  67.   Rabbi Kanievsky`s RULING SHOWS THAT TIMES HAVE CHANGED!! 20:59  |  Simeon ben Jacob 21/03/08
  68.   Rami 21:02  |  Jane 21/03/08
  69.   LOVE and HATE is the same thing 21:07  |  Chachach Goldberg 21/03/08
  70.   Dutch 21:08  |  Doris Cadigan 21/03/08
  71.   Aftala as a weapons 21:09  |  clod 21/03/08
  72.   RABBIS LOVE JEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 21:09  |  Cold Water