Israel seems to never be free of controversy. Either it’s the difficulties of the peace process in all its facets – refugees, settlements, extremists, etc. – or then it’s domestic – conversion, religious vs. secularist, etc. Currently the big topic is a letter issued by a group of rabbis which urges property owners not to rent or sell to non-Jews, which in this case means Arabs.
Most of the commentary is – not surprising – against this letter, calling it discriminatory and racist. And the timing is certainly bad. Just this week we’ve run an article on how Abbas and the PLO are winning the international PR war. With more and more countries willing to unilaterally recognize an independent Palestine, Israel could do without this seemingly anti-Arab initiative.
In addition to Rabbi Hillel Goldberg’s View, “Racist? That’s debatable“, we’ve rounded up some other opinion pieces from across the globe – and spectrum.
- Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot on the halacha’s role
- Cleveland Jewish news on unilateral condemnation
- Guardian commentary from Tel Aviv-based journalist Mya Guarnieri
- Blog from peace activist Mitchell Plitnick
What’s your view? Is the letter racist? Or is such discrimination necessary in order to preserve a Jewish state? Post a comment to have your say.
