By Zein Khail
JERUSALEM (AA) – Rabbis from the anti-Zionist Jewish movement "Neturei Karta" attended the funeral of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Qatari capital Doha.
On Friday, Haniyeh was laid to rest in the Imam Foundation Cemetery in Lusail, north of Doha, after being assassinated on Wednesday in Tehran, an attack blamed on Israel.
Neturei Karta announced on its Facebook page that “anti-Zionist Jewish Rabbis arrived in Qatar to participate in the funeral procession of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh.”
A viral video from Haniyeh's funeral showed these rabbis holding signs reading "Jews are not Zionists."
This movement is made up of Orthodox Jews who say Zionism is an ideology that does not represent Judaism.
On Friday, the Jewish movement condemned Haniyeh's assassination in a statement on its website, blaming it on the "Zionist regime in Israel."
“This latest crime was committed amidst the ten-month-long genocide launched on the besieged Gaza, with tens of thousands killed in the brutal aggressive war, leading to a humanitarian disaster within the territory under siege,” the movement said.
Neturei Karta revealed that its rabbis had met with Haniyeh during a “historic humanitarian visit” to Gaza in 2009, where they “emphasized the authentic Jewish opposition to Zionism and the hope to live peacefully as we did historically.”
The rabbinic delegation had assured Haniyeh that "according to the Jewish religion, Jews are forbidden to have their own sovereign state and are forbidden to kill, steal, or fight any nation."
They informed Haniyeh that "authentic Jews stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people until total liberation" and pointed out that "the State of Israel does not represent the Jewish people, and the nationalistic movement does not represent Judaism, which is a holy religion.”
According to the movement, Haniyeh had clarified his understanding of the distinction between Zionism and Jews.
"We do not consider Jews to be our enemies because they are Jews. The problem is with the occupation that occupied our land, sent our people into exile, and launched a war against us,” the late Haniyeh had told the rabbis.
The US-based Neturei Karta movement frequently organizes protests condemning Israel's offensive on Gaza, prompting strong criticism from other Jewish groups.
The Jewish movement in the statement expressed its deepest condolences to Haniyeh's family, the Palestinian people, and all victims of the cycle of bloodshed in Palestine.
Haniyeh was assassinated on Wednesday in the Iranian capital, Tehran. While Hamas and Iran blamed Israel for the killing, Tel Aviv has not confirmed or denied responsibility.
The assassination came a day after Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.
Hamas and Iran have vowed to retaliate for Haniyeh's assassination, while Hezbollah has pledged to respond to Shukr's killing.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala