Here’s a Reform group, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, attacking the Kairos document, issued by Palestinian Christians last year. One point I need to land on: The rabbis say at the start that they seek "an end to the occupation of Palestinians lands" and then in a footnote state, "We define such ‘Palestinian lands’ as land in Israel’s hands since the Six-Day War of 1967 that was not part of Israel before that time and which has not been annexed by Israel."
That legalistic statement means that the Reform rabbis regard East Jerusalem as Israel’s, which contradicts international law and global consensus, not to mention Herzl’s explicit promises to the Sultan and the Pope and all partition designs (which extraterritorialized Jerusalem). If you believe in Partition (and I am agnostic), you can’t believe in Jews holding Jerusalem. The Reform rabbis’ statement is a reflection of how far right the American Jewish community has drifted on Jerusalem out of some religious fervor. Who will check this spirit?
