As the Israeli occupation wages its most violent war and escalation against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank in nearly three years, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, David Yosef, issued statements inciting the destruction of what remains of the Gaza Strip and its occupation, while simultaneously denying the existence of the Palestinian people.
According to Israeli media and a widely circulated video, Yosef—who also served as Chief Rabbi of Israel—made these remarks on August 20 during a visit to the Gush Katif Museum in West Jerusalem.
Yosef called for the complete destruction of the Gaza Strip, claiming that the synagogues that remained after the Israeli withdrawal from the Gush Katif settlements, which Tel Aviv evacuated from the Strip in 2005, had been “desecrated.”
He added, inciting further violence, “For this reason alone, they deserve to have all of Gaza destroyed and for us to return to it.” The Israeli official didn’t stop there, stating that “the meaning of redemption is that the Land of Israel returns to us, all of the Land of Israel,” adding, “Gaza is the Land of Israel, Gaza is ours, Nablus is ours, Jenin is ours, all of it is ours.”
These claims contradict international law, which considers the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip occupied Palestinian territories and affirms the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
Yosef went even further, denying the existence of the Palestinian people and their rights, claiming that Palestinians “are not a people,” and that they “have never been a people, and they have no rights,” as he put it.
