Rabbi Yisroel Weiss threw his up arms when a Palestinian woman offered her hand in greeting as he mingled with delegates at the Al Azhar Conference to Support Jerusalem.
A striking figure with the wide-brimmed hat and curled sidelocks of Orthodox Jews, the rabbi was quick to explain that his religion forbade him from shaking her hand, not his politics.
His political stance was made clear by the kaffiyeh draped around his neck and a laminated image pinned to his left lapel of an Israeli flag struck through with a red line and the slogan “A Jew, Not a Zionist" above the pin.
“We oppose the occupation of Palestine in its entirety," he said. "Judaism is to be subservient to God, while Zionism is nationalism. It is a whole different concept, it is contradictory of our religion."
The idea that Palestine is the promised land of the Jews, upon which Zionism pushed its initial movement and justifies its illegal occupation of the land, is "totally false, I can't use stronger language to describe that", Rabbi Weiss told The National.
The Torah, Judaism’s holy book, forbids not only the concept of Zionism but the occupation of any land, said the rabbi, whose grandparents were killed in Auschwitz.
"Since the destruction of the temple, 2,000 years ago, God mandated us to live in exile. It is forbidden to make a safe haven otherwise we would have done so centuries ago.”
Rabbi Weiss said he and his colleagues from the Jews United Against Zionism group attended the two-day conference in Cairo to show the Muslim and Christian world that there are Jews around the world who oppose the occupation and choose to live outside of Palestine because of it.
Historically, Jews turned to Muslims during their times of greatest need, and lived for centuries among them as guests in their land and as mandated by their religion, he said.
“This is a fact across the board: where Jews presided with Muslims we flourished. In Palestine, we lived in the same courtyards and we babysat each other’s children, the most precious thing that we have,” he said. "How dare the Zionists inflict pain on those who hosted and protected us for so long?"
The New York native said it was important to push through the message of differentiating between Judaism, which Muslims acknowledge as a holy religion, and Zionism.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas made the same point at the conference on Wednesday, saying that Jerusalem was a city of religious depth and liberating Palestine did not imply the exclusion of its Jewish people.
“There are many Jews who deserve respect, and talk our language and say the Zionist state is a lie,” he said.
“We wait and sustain our hope that Jerusalem will be a city open to all, the Jews, the Muslims and Christians, because Muslims believe in all the religions,” he said.
Religious scholars at the conference stressed that religions lived in harmony in Jerusalem.
"The relationship between Jews and Muslims, all of history, has been one of unity and love," said Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Najjar, president of Al Azhar's Damietta university. "The conflict we have with Jews now is over land, and if they left Jerusalem there is no reason why we would leave them alone."
He said Zionism was an extremist sect, similar to some in Islam, that should be isolated from Judaism, and that "dignified Jews" remained against this occupation of land.
However, he said it was the responsibility of those Jews to make their message clear and to show the world that Zionism was not synonymous with Judaism.
The grand Imam of Al Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayyeb, announced that its observatory for fighting extremism would create a school history curriculum that taught about the peaceful coexistence of all three religions in Jerusalem.
The imam said it was a Muslim duty to counter Zionist rhetoric that attempted to religiously justify Jewish occupation of Palestine.
Father Ibrahim Faltas, a Christian priest and member of the Council for Guarding the Holy Land, an advisory body, welcomed the plan to teach the history of Jerusalem as place of peaceful coexistence.
“Jerusalem must be for all. There is no problem with the religion of Jews, the problem is with Zionists,” he said. “You see among us Jews in this hall, and Palestine has always been home for all three religions living in peace, and we want it to return to that.”
Amr Moussa, former secretary general of the Arab League, reiterated the position of the religious leaders in the conference's closing session.
“We must work together — all sides, all religions — to reopen the Holy Land and to make peace of what is inherently a human problem,” he said.
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Read more:
Abbas urges Arabs to visit Jerusalem
The Year of Jerusalem is a time to offer a hand of solidarity
Palestinian leaders urge Abbas to withdraw recognition of Israel
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Company%20profile
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
HWJN
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
BABYLON
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
