Israeli Spiritual Leader Describes Obama "A Slave"

[Purveyor]

(RTTNews) - Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, has slammed U.S. President Barack Obama, describing him as "a slave" who seeks to rule the world and control Tel Aviv's affairs when it comes to construction of settlements in occupied Jerusalem, reports say.

"American insidiousness tells us to build here and not to build there, as though we were slaves working for them," he said in his weekly sermon Saturday, adding: "We live in a time when slaves are governing us and are trying to control us."

Turning down the Obama administration's request to stop illegal construction of settlements on Palestinian occupied territories, he said: "We are not employees of the Americans.. and Israel does not work for the United States."

The senior Rabbi then addressed the issue of Haram al Sharif (Dome of the Rock) saying: "...and where is our temple? The situation there is cause for grief. There is nothing there but evil Arabs who are occupying our lands…and I hope that the messiah will appear soon to destroy them."

The racist remarks were made amid a diplomatic conflict between the U.S. and Israel over the construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem (al-Quds).

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http://www.rttnews.com/Content/GeneralNews.aspx?Node=B1&Id=1019910

[bemildred]

1. Really no clue at all there, has he?

Makes Lieberman look subtle.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. Concur the author is about as clueless as Palin

Shas is a splinter group and scarcely the spiritual leader of Israel

[bemildred]

3. It is the evident ignorance of the comment.

"Provincial" is the only word that comes to me. I don't expect that it will affect Obama or the US' attitiude any, but these fools have real influence in Israel, and that is dangerous.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. Actually their influence is waning

Shas gets ~10% of the seats and is often the party that will make or lose a parliamentary majority for the largest vote getter. However, over time they have been losing influence and there has been a steady erosion in their pet areas.

[shaayecanaan]

5. Waning my arse, Professor

they got 11 seats in 2003, 12 seats in 2006 and 11 seats in 2009. I would not describe that as "waning" - I would describe that as "consistent".

Given that most of the population growth is amongst the Haredi and the Arabs, and most of the emigration from Israel is from the secular middle class, one would expect their influence to grow with time.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. The steady lowering of subsidies and other pet agendas is also clear

Its not just the numbers

[oberliner]

15. In 1999 they won 17 seats, in 2009 they won 11 seats

During that ten year period there has been, as you noted, a much higher rate of population growth among the Haredi than the "secular middle class" who, as you also noted, are the group most likely to have emigrated from Israel during that period.

Thus, over the past ten years which have seen the two trends you've identified, Shas has lost a total of six seats and now remains flat at around eleven.

Therefore, your theory that their influence would grow with time is not supported by the facts.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

12. I'm afraid I don't agree.

At the last election, they got only two fewer seats than Labour.

It's true that they appear to be facing increasingly stiff competition from the likes of UTJ, but that's hardly cause for celebration...

[oberliner]

14. That is not saying much

Labor is a party in shambles.

Shas received only 11 seats - this is a drop of six seats from their high in 1999. This represents less than 10 percent of the seats available.

UTJ won just 5 seats. This is a drop of one seat from the last legislative elections.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Let this shitty little country starve on the vine

Not one dollar, or weapon, to Israel. A total embargo!

[ProgressiveProfessor]

8. That would be the equivalent of punishing all ot the US for Phelps

[stranger81]

11. We're already punishing all of Palestine for Hamas . . . . .

why not spread the love a little?

[shaayecanaan]

9. FFS, shut up (nt)

[backwoodsbob]

13. you would love to see that *shitty little country* gone

wouldn't you

[LeftishBrit]

10. Sounds like 'Ovadia Yosef' is Hebrew for 'Pat Robertson'!

He was slightly saner in the past, I believe (at least thought I/P negotiations were acceptable). I wonder if he's losing his mind a bit - he is in his late 80s.

Shas and such parties have altogether too much influence on the Israeli political process, in proportion to their numbers.