Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Elder of Ziyon
Mishary Rashid Alafasy, Imam of the Grand Mosque of Kuwait, has issued some controversial opinions on his Twitter account that seem to allow for peace with Israel - with caveats.
He called for a solution to the Palestinian issue and to accept Israel's existence, saying it is permissible to reconcile with Jews.
But when he was criticized for this he emphasized that he was against all normalization with Israel, and he also reiterated that Jerusalem as a red line. He also said that reconciliation with Jews is a political choice, but not a permanent peace. The implication is that Muslims should accept Israel's existence as a tactical move until the Umma is strong enough to defeat it.
Alfasy pointed out that Mohammed reconciled even with polytheists (who are worse than Jews) before the conquest of Mecca.Reconciliation, he noted, is acceptable at a time when the Muslims are weak, but not when they are strong enough to prevail. He emphasized that he does not agree to normalization with Israel but only a temporary peace.
When Hamas complained about his statements, he pointed out that Hamas has previously offered a similar truce with Israel in the past.
An Arab religious leader who is willing to accept Israel as a temporary reality until it is possible to destroy it in war is what Westerners call a "moderate."
