Jews need not exterminate the locals as Joshua supposedly did, behavior not readily reconcilable with the
tolerance the Torah teaches (The Torah prescribes restraint toward slaves and help for enemies who are one’s
co-religionists. Hatred of idolaters is a divine prerogative, not to be enforced by
Jews in some kind of jihad. Killing the Canaanites was a separate commandment
precisely because it was hard to justify based on the other commandments. Many
archeologists doubt the extermination ever took place).
Israel has clear guidelines in dealing with Palestinians: the Ten Commandments,
which prohibit murder and robbery but not killing in a war for the Promised Land,
nor do they prohibit running people off, provided the land and other property is
justly compensated. Those who compare Israeli policy with the Nazis should
imagine the Germans moving the Jews to Switzerland forcibly but compensating
them for their real estate.
Obadiah Shoher
No comments:
Post a Comment