A group of Jews belonging to the anti-Zionist, ultra-Orthodox sect Neturei Karta visited Jenin in the West Bank on Monday and met with leaders of regional terror groups, declaring their support for the dismantling of the Jewish State.
Videos shared on social media show the delegation visiting the home of Bassam al-Saadi, a senior official of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine (PIJ), who is currently in prison in Israel accused of terror charges.
Orthodox Jews visited Jenin RFC. During the visit, PIJ and Fatah leaders said: "We want to live in co-existence & peace, our jewish brothers want it too. We wish to live peacefully together with equal rights, on the basis that we all stand firm against occupation." pic.twitter.com/pUw5PYlIcU
— Fátima Ezzahrae Elhalaoui فاطمة الزهراء الحلوي (@Felhalaui) January 9, 2023
Al-Saadi’s recent imprisonment last year in an Israeli prison triggered three days of fighting in August between Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli security body Shin Bet, al-Saadi was behind the creation of a significant military force within the PIJ in the West Bank and Jenin in particular.
בלב מחנה הפליטים ג׳נין: משלחת של הפלג החרדי-הקיצוני נטורי קרתא תועדה עם דגלי אש"ף pic.twitter.com/FSA57Vp9hT
— ספיר ליפקין | Sapir Lipkin | سابير ليبكين (@sapirlipkin) January 9, 2023
During their visit, Neturei Karta members also reportedly met with the secretary general of the Palestinian nationalist Fatah party, Ata Abu Ramila.
Abu Ramila praised the group’s visit, describing them as “entering waving Palestinian flags, carrying messages of support, and opposing the occupation and annexation,”
Two Neturei Karta members could also be seen walking down the street in Jenin with Palestinian flags and wearing scarves in Palestinian national colours.
The same pair were shown in another video standing outside the entrance to the Jenin refugee camp with former administrative inmate Maher al-Akhras, who the Israeli government detained on terror charges in 2020.
הבוקר במחנה הפליטים בג'נין: נטורי קרתא. הגיעו כדי לבקר את משפחתו של בכיר הג'יהאד האסלאמי העצור בישראל, בסאם א סעדי pic.twitter.com/EbNym6JHB1
— Carmel Dangor כרמל דנגור (@carmeldangor) January 9, 2023
Akhras, who went on hunger strike in 2020 for over 100 days to protest his detention by Israel, praised the two visitors for not recognising the State of Israel.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir reacted simply to the West Bank delegation. Alongside a picture of the group, Mr Ben Gvir tweeted: "To Syria!"
לסוריה! pic.twitter.com/uDkkloWbhO
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) January 10, 2023
Created in 1938, Neturei Karta is a fringe religious Jewish group who believe that the state of Israel is against the teachings of the Torah, with Jews forbidden to have their own state until the coming fo the Jewish messiah. In the past, the group has met with officials from the Iranian government and Holocaust deniers.
