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Posts: 20719
Mon, 23-Jan-06 13:56:43
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Quote: His main justification is his Halakhic ruling that pikuach nefesh (preservation of soul, i.e. saving lives), takes precedence over all other obligations in the Torah, including those pertaining to the sanctity of land. Yosef says that, according to the Torah, every other commandment should be forfeited if a life is put in danger. Based on this, Yosef opposes the ideology of Religious Zionism, particularly in regards to its settlement program and confrontational manner. Yosef maintains that the settlements and the Arab-Israeli Conflict endanger Jewish lives, and if Israel doesn't make every effort to reach a peace settlement and enact defensive security measures, it is contributing to that danger.However, in 2005, Yosef repeatedly condemned the Gaza Disengagement. He argued that while he supported withdrawal in principle, he was opposed to any unilateral action that occured outside the framework of a peace agreement. Yosef again cited the principle of pikuach nefesh, saying that empowering the Palestinians without a commitment to end terror would result in threatening Jewish lives, particularly in areas near Gaza in range of Qassam rocket attacks.[12] In contrast to some of his rabbinical colleagues, such as Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, Yosef refused to entertain the idea of holding a referendum on the Disengagement, and instructed his MKs to vote against the plan when it came up in the Knesset.
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