Former Sephardi chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu makes some Iranian mullahs seem moderate, even restrained. His plan to halt Palestinian rocket attacks has slipped off the radar with the world's attention on Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. However Eliyahu's 'solution' is worth revisiting if only to demonstrate that genocidal rhetoric doesn't only come from Iran.
In a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Eliyahu cited "Jewish war ethics" (definitely not on file at the UN) - in calling for the carpet bombing of Gaza.
According to Eliyahu's antediluvian reasoning, passages from the Bible - notably Genesis 34 and Kings 9,14 - demonstrate that collective punishment is called for to punish the 'immoral actions' of individuals.
Since the citizens of Gaza didn't prevent the firing of rockets - in Eliyahu's mind they are therefore asking for it. The fact that the bulk of Gazan citizenry had no clue if and when a homemade rocket might have been deployed doesn't come into the verdict... everybody needs to die... kids too.
Eliyahu's other contention is that it is 'forbidden' to risk the lives of IDF soldiers in a ground operation. His son Shmuel Eliyahu, also a rabbi, explained that rather than a ground operation his father advocated carpet bombing the areas from which Qassams were launched - irrespective of the numbers of Palestinians killed.
Demonstrating the type of genocidal logic reminiscent of the mind of Heinrich Himmler, Eliyahu jr then added:
"If they don't stop after we kill 100, then we must kill a thousand. And if they do not stop after 1,000 then we must kill 10,000. If they still don't stop we must kill 100,000, even a million. Whatever it takes to make them stop."
Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu and son are lunatics who should be charged for advocating mass murder. But no doubt there is a good sized portion of the Israeli populace who think they make total sense.
Controversial statements aren't new for Eliyahu. During an anniversary service for an attack on a Jerusalem yeshiva he announced that the life of one yeshiva student is worth more than the lives of a thousand Arabs.
In the meantime copies of the former chief rabbi's letter should be forwarded to all parties in the US government who think it's a good idea to keep adding to Israel's ever-growing arsenal of high-tech weapons.
