What does God say?

OK, the papers said 'a leading Palestinian Muslim cleric has issued a fatwa banning attacks on Israeli security forces and settlers because such actions might delay the evacuation of settlements in Gaza and part of the West Bank next week.'

Sounds sensible.

That bloke is no other than the mufti of Ramallah, Sheikh Jamal al Bawatna. According to him it’s an Islamic crime for any Palestinian (presumably Muslim) bloke to cause a delay in the withdrawal of the occupying force or prolong their presence on Islamic soil.

Meanwhile on the other side of the Abrahamic divide, two former (do they ever retire?) chief rabbis of Israel -Avraham Shapira and Mordecahi Eliyahu – passed the edict that the Gaza pullout is a sellout, and is in contravention of religious law.

Rabbi Shapira advised the evacuating settlers that the removal of graves and synagogues would defile their sanctity. He doomed anyone who dares to go against his fatwa - BTW, what do the Israeli rabbis called ‘fatwa’?.

He said: "Woe be unto any soldier or policemen and woe be unto his soul who takes part in such an atrocity."

Holy Moses, that's sounds frightening, like a Catholic excommunication.

Meanwhile, God Himself said “....……….” – sorry, can’t tell you ;-)