Neturei Karta rabbis wave PLO in Lebanon
Neturei Karta rabbis wave PLO in LebanonReuters

Anti-Zionist Neturei Karta rabbis said prayers in a Sidon, Lebanon synagogue used as a home by Arabs claiming residency in Israel. It was the first time in decades the former house of worship was opened for prayers.

Rabbis Yisrael Dovid Weiss and Alter Vaskhkal toured what used to be a Sidon Jewish neighborhood, according to the Beirut Daily Star. An Arab family, classified by the United Nations as “refugees,” lives in the house of worship. The property still is registered as owned by Jews.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon has been spearheading a campaign for recognition of the rights of Jewish refugees whose property was confiscated and who were expelled from Arab countries.

Several Jews fled the city out of fear of persecution after the re-establishment of the State of Israel n 1948, and thousands left during the civil war in the 1970s.

The local Jewish cemetery is believed to be the burial site of Zevulun, head of one of the 12 tribes of Israel, and the Neturei Karta rabbis visited the abandoned cemetery.

They used the opportunity to continue their campaign for the immigration of several million Arabs claiming residency in Israel. The fringe cult, which often wins international headlines despite its tiny percentage of world Jewry, opposes the establishment of the State of Israel.

Lebanese legislator Ossama Sa'ad took the opportunity to accuse Zionism of being against the Creator.