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Comments (0)A leading rabbi of the settler movement was arrested for writing a book that says Jewish law allows the killing of non-Jews.
Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira of the Yitzhar settlement was arrested Monday on suspicion of incitement for his book “The King’s Torah,” which was published last year and garnered headlines then for its controversial content. Police also confiscated 35 copies of the book found in his home. The book is sold in bookstores.
Shapira, who heads the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in Yitzhar, was released on bail hours after his arrest.
Israeli police reportedly began investigating the book after an ad appeared for it last year.
Shapira wrote in his book that it is permissible to kill gentile babies in time of war “since it is assumed that they will grow up to be evil like their parents” and will pose a threat to Israel. He based his conclusions on biblical passages.
The book has been defended as a pedagogical work exploring Jewish law.
Shapira was arrested in January on suspicion of involvement in the arson attack on a mosque in a nearby Palestinian village. No charges were brought against the rabbi.
Israel Museum in Jerusalem Reopens
The Israel Museum in Jerusalem has opened after a five-year, $100 million renovation project.
The renewed campus of the museum was inaugurated Sunday. The opening will be celebrated with a week of public programs and events, including concerts by popular Israeli musicians, activities for children, and programs featuring artists, writers and performers.
The museum’s three collection wings—the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Archaeology Wing, the Edmond and Lily Safra Fine Arts Wing, and the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Wing for Jewish Art and Life—have been redone. Though the exhibit space has more than doubled, fewer objects are on display for more ease in viewing.
The new galleries are opening with a series of exhibitions highlighting recent acquisitions and long-held masterpieces.
James Carpenter Design Associates of New York and Efrat Kowalsky Architects of Tel Aviv oversaw the renovation.
The museum was founded in 1965, when Teddy Kollek served as mayor of Jerusalem.
Settlers Protest Outpost Home Demolition
Hundreds of Jewish settlers rallied at major junctions in the West Bank to protest the demolition of an outpost home built during the construction freeze.
The demolition Monday came a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not extend the West Bank building freeze.
Jewish settlers and Palestinians squared off Monday after a caravan home and a goat pen in the Givat Ronen outpost near the settlement of Har Bracha were demolished for violating Israel’s 10-month building freeze. Four settlers were injured by rocks thrown at them by Palestinians, according to Haaretz. Two Palestinians also were injured.
Settlers reportedly set a Palestinian field on fire south of Nablus in response, according to reports.
The residents of the demolished home and other settlers present during the demolition told Israeli media that security forces on the scene used excessive force.
On Monday evening, Jewish settlers and their supporters gathered at about 15 major road junctions to protest the demolitions. In some places the protesters blocked the roads and Boarder Guard officers reportedly removed them by force.
Border Guard officers told Ynet that they were attacked by settlers, who kicked and punched them, prompting one of the guards to use a stun grenade. Settlers again charged that the police used excessive force.
On Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that he did not intend to extend the freeze, which is set to expire at the end of September. Netanyahu said the freeze was put into place to encourage the Palestinians to enter direct peace negotiations with Israel, since “the slowdown was limited in time. It has not changed and that’s how it will be.”
Meanwhile, a unit of army reservists thwarted a terrorist attack Sunday night in the West Bank southeast of Nablus, the Israeli military said. The force discovered five Palestinians lying in wait at the side of the road to ambush the unit or passing settlers and surprised them. The Palestinians were carrying two homemade handguns, knives and Molotov cocktails, according to the Israeli military.