- Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh called for the conquest and settlement of southern Lebanon, citing biblical claims to the land.
- Ginsburgh, linked to the Hilltop Youth extremists, has been accused of promoting Jewish supremacist ideologies, with his followers implicated in violent attacks.
Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, in a letter published on Wednesday, advocated for the settlement of southern Lebanon.
In excerpts shared by Israeli media, Rabbi Ginsburgh emphasised that military action cannot be delayed as Lebanon forms part of the biblical Land of Israel, granted to the Jewish people by God. He cited scriptural verses that describe the Land of Israel as extending to the Euphrates River:
“In our generation, God grants us the opportunity to reclaim this gift, to conquer and settle the land once again.”
Rabbi Ginsburgh added:
"Today it is evident that the time has come to conquer Lebanese territories as well. Only through this can the threat be eradicated and true peace brought to the region. After the conquest and expulsion of the hostile population, a Jewish settlement must be established, thereby securing complete victory."
It is possible that Rabbi Ginsburgh was referring to this particular passage in the Bible:
“I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out before you.” (Exodus 23:31)
Rabbi Ginsburgh, associated with the Chabad movement, is the head of the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in the West Bank and a highly regarded kabbalist.
The mystic and Jewish scholar was born in St. Louis. Many have accused him of fuelling the ideology of a new generation of Jewish supremacists.
Ginsburgh’s students include the Hilltop Youth— extremists who roam the West Bank hilltops and intimidate Palestinians through acts of vandalism, arson and even murder.
Prior to a Ginsburgh’s Tel Aviv event in 2016, two of his students allegedly firebombed the home of a family in the West Bank Palestinian village of Duma. Two young parents and their 18-month baby burnt to death. On the walls of the Dawabsheh family’s home, the arsonists daubed the graffiti messages “Revenge” and “Long Live King Messiah.”
Other rabbis have voiced similar sentiments in relation to Lebanon, including Rabbi Nir Ben Artzi Shalita, who said:
“We must conclude the war with Lebanon, paving the way for the Messiah and redemption for the people of Israel.”
We see here the early stages of the Israeli settler expansion project in Lebanon are already taking shape:
