Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said Saturday night that non-Jews should not live in the Land of Israel according to Jewish law.
He said: “According to Jewish law, gentiles should not live in the Land of Israel. If a gentile does not agree to take on the seven Noachide Laws, we should send him to Saudi Arabia. When the true and complete redemption arrives, that is what we will do.”
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Channel 10 news recorded the rabbi saying “According to Jewish law, it’s forbidden for a non-Jew to live in the Land of Israel – unless he has accepted the seven Noachide laws.If he’s not willing to accept one of them, [which is] not to commit suicide, if he’s not willing to accept this, you send him to Saudi Arabia.”
The seven Noachide laws – a basic moral code include prohibitions on denying the existence of God, idolatry, blasphemy, murder, illicit sexual relations, stealing and eating the limb of a living animal, plus a positive commandment to establish court systems.
Yosef added: “If our hands were firm, if we had the power to rule, then non-Jews shouldn’t live in the Land of Israel. But our hands aren’t strong. We’re awaiting our righteous Messiah, who will be the true and complete redemption, and then they’ll do this.”
Yitzhak is the son of late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, and like his father has sparked controversy with his statements.
Just two weeks ago he claimed Israelis should kill knife-wielding terrorists without fear of the law citing ancient rabbinic exhortation, “He who comes to kill you, arise to kill him [first].”
Times of Israel knows to tell a story from early 2015. The rabbi came out strongly against smartphones and recounted an incident in which he submerged such a device in water.
When the phone rang during a class he was delivering, Yosef told its owner, a student, to bring a bowl of water, he said. “He went to bring a bowl of water, and put it on the desk. I put it inside, it bubbled and was gone. The phone was gone, ” he recalled.
