<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Occupied Palestine | فلسطين]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[occupiedpalestine]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/author/hajarhajar/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Protest after Israel police quiz rabbis on racist&nbsp;book]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>Published yesterday (updated) 05/07/2011 02:40<br />
<img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.maannews.net/images/345x230/13674_345x230.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><strong>By Michael Blum</strong>&lt;</p>
<p>JERUSALEM (AFP) &#8212; Some 2,000 religious Jews demonstrated outside Israel&#039;s Supreme Court on Monday, protesting against the recent arrest of two leading rabbis who allegedly endorsed a racist book.</p>
<p>In the past week, police have detained, questioned and released the two rabbis as part of an ongoing investigation into a book called &quot;The King&#039;s Torah,&quot; that justifies killing non-Jews under certain circumstances.</p>
<p>The arrests have sparked violent protests and a raging debate about whether the rabbis are above the law and the limits of religious freedom of expression.</p>
<p>&quot;I have come here to bring the message that the laws of the Torah are above the laws&quot; of the state, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, a controversial rabbi from the northern city of Safed, said.</p>
<p>Eliyahu outraged many people last year when he issued a religious ruling that said Jews should not rent or sell property to Arabs.</p>
<p>At Monday&#039;s protest, several leading rabbis addressed the crowd from in front of a banner reading: &quot;For the honor and independence of the Torah. Protesting against the arrest of the great rabbis.&quot;</p>
<p>On the sidelines of the protest some were selling copies of the book, which has been banned for sale in Israel.</p>
<p>Others wore stickers bearing the slogan: &quot;The King&#039;s Torah &#8212; It&#039;s my code of ethics.&quot;</p>
<p>But many also said they did not support the message of the book at all, but had nevertheless come to express their support for the rabbis.</p>
<p>&quot;I came because I am shocked that they arrested our rabbis,&quot; said Daniel Dannon, 19, a Yeshiva or seminary student.</p>
<p>&quot;But most of the people here are against this book which is an embarrassment and should never have been published.&quot;</p>
<p>&quot;The King&#039;s Torah&quot; has stirred up controversy since its publication last year. In August, its co-author settler rabbi Yosef Elitzur was arrested on suspicion of incitement to violence.</p>
<p>But he was freed without charge days later after a court found that police had not followed proper procedure.</p>
<p>The book reportedly says babies and children of Israel&#039;s enemies may be killed in certain circumstances since &quot;it is clear that they will grow to harm us.&quot;</p>
<p>It also says that non-Jews are &quot;uncompassionate by nature&quot; and that attacks on them &quot;curb their evil inclination.&quot;</p>
<p>&quot;Anywhere where the influence of gentiles constitutes a threat to the life of Israel, it is permissible to kill them,&quot; the rabbis wrote.</p>
<p>The book has also drawn sharp criticism from many rabbis who say it contradicts the teachings of Judaism.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=402391">Source</a></p>
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