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Sunday, October 13, 2013

Land For Peace and Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef zt"l

Since Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef has passed away much has been written about his great legacy. Many have mentioned that Rav Ovadiah gave the halachic basis for the Oslo Accords when he ruled that it is permissible to surrender land for peace. They don't mention the rabbis who disagreed with him on this matter (for instance his friend and colleague Rav Avraham Shapira zt"l). What's worse is that they do not mention that Rabbi Ovadiah himself wrote that his psak does not apply to our current situation here in the land of Israel.

I have translated, to the best of my ability, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef's letter on this matter. (You can see the original here). I hope that I have faithfully conveyed his message:

B"H

23 Shevat 5763 (26 January '03)

To our dear and honored brothers of the house of Israel, residents of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip,

May God be upon you and may you live, may your peace be grow eternally.

It is my desire to make clear my positon with regards to Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.

I have already explained on more than one occasion that the legal decision that I rendered regarding "territory for peace" is not at all valid regarding the current situation. I had intended only ( a situation of ) true peace, where Jerusalem and its environs dwell in safety, peace and tranquility. However, now, our eyes see and are disappointed that to the contrary, the handing over of territory from our holy land causes danger to life. This is not the peace than we hoped for and this is not the child that we prayed for. Therefore the Oslo Agreements are null and void. I am all peace; but when I speak, they are for war. And we have nobody to rely upon except our Father in heaven.

I hereby bless you with all of my heart and soul, Hashem, should make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as He hath promised you! Hashem should guard your going and coming for good life and peace from now until eternity, in your days and in our days may Yehudah be delivered and may Israel dwell in safety. And Jacob shall again be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.

With great love,

Requesting your peace and benefit with heart and soul,

Ovadiah Yosef

2 comments:

yaak said...

חזק וברוך for posting this - something that many often forget.

Cosmic X said...

Yaak, many often forget, and even more never knew that this was Rav Ovadiah's opinion. The media was sure to publish his "heter", but his reservations received much less publicity.

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