Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Refuses to Meet with Shin-Bet: ‘99% of Violence Done by Arabs’

ISRAEL (VINnews) — Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Tzfas, has refused a request to meet with the Shin-Bet.

As Ramadan approaches, the Israeli national security service’s Jewish Department asked for Rabbi Eliyahu’s cooperation, to help calm tensions which have been flaring in mixed Jewish-Arab cities.

While he says that he respects the agency, he refuses to meet with the department on this particular matter, because he feels that the Arabs are almost exclusively to blame, while Jews get scapegoated.

As quoted in Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon, Rabbi Eliyahu said, “I have the greatest of respect for the [Shin-Bet], and I used to meet with them. But this political department of theirs wants to portray Jews as being responsible for the problems we have here, when 99 percent of violent incidents are caused by Arabs. Is Jewish graffiti really going to ignite the Middle East?”

Rabbi Eliyahu added, “Once, they came to see me about a fire in a mosque in Tuba Zangriya, and in the end, it turned out that it was the result of a dispute among Arabs. It’s a joke. What Jewish crime are they talking about? There are lies being spread here, and I won’t be party to their attempts to draw parallels.”

According to the report, the Shin Bet learned tough lessons during Operation Guardian of the Walls, when security forces struggled to contain violent riots. As a result, they have asked Rabbi Eliyahu to help ease tensions in the Jewish community, and prevent violence.

Last year, tensions during Ramadan led to a great deal of violence and ultimately a military operation.

Rabbi Eliyahu pointed to many other crimes that are of higher priority. “There are hundreds of vehicle thefts, shootings, rock-throwing incidents, and trees being uprooted. They should start by dealing with all of that – all of that, and then Arab crime that ends with murder,” he said. “What are they doing about all the other problems?”