rabbi\u2019s statements<\/a>\u00a0came during a conference held in the Yeshivah yesterday and focused on dealing with the civilian population in Gaza during the war.<\/p>\nMali described the war waged by Israel on Gaza as a \u201creligious war\u201d. He said: \u201cThe basic law in a religious war, and in this case in Gaza, is that \u2018you shall not leave alive anything that breathes\u2019 (Deuteronomy), and if you do not kill them, they will kill you. Today\u2019s saboteurs are the children in the previous military operation whom you kept alive and the women are the ones who produce the saboteurs.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cIt is either you or them. No soul can live on the basis of: \u2018If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first\u2019 (Babylonian Talmud). This applies not only to the 14- or 16-year-old boy, or the 20- or 30-year-old man who points a gun at you, but also to the future generation. This also applies to those who produce the future generation as well, because in reality there is no difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response to a question about the killing of elderly people in Gaza, Mali claimed: \u201cThere is a difference between a civilian population elsewhere and a civilian population in Gaza. In Gaza, according to estimates, 95-98 per cent want to annihilate us.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked, \u201cChildren too?\u201d, the rabbi replied: \u201cIt\u2019s the same thing. You can\u2019t embellish with the Torah. Today, he\u2019s a child, tomorrow he\u2019s a fighter. There are no questions here. Today\u2019s terrorists were 8-year-old children in the previous military operation. So, you cannot stop there. Therefore, the ruling concerning Gaza is different.\u201d<\/p>\n
This rabbi indicated at the beginning of his speech: \u201cSince this is a sensitive issue, and they informed me that it would be published on the Internet, I want to keep it brief and say in conclusion that only the Israeli army\u2019s decrees should be implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n