Fight over Palestine flag mars Jewish wedding
Guest angry at show of support
Guests at an Orthodox Jewish wedding in Occupied Jerusalem broke into a fight when the Palestinian flag was seen fluttering in a rare incident that drew attention to Israeli groups that oppose the existence of the Jewish state.
The Palestinian flag was seen fluttering at the wedding of the son of Rabi Moshe Hirsch, late head of the anti-Zionist Neturei Karta.
Several of the guests danced while waving the flag and the groom joined them, but one of the guests was infuriated at the show of support for Palestine and got up and snatched the flag from them.
The pro-Palestinian guests tried to retrieve theflag and a fist fight ensued until they finally managed to take the flag and resume their dance.
Anti-Zionist group
Neturei Karta is a Jerusalem-based anti-Zionist group that opposes the existence of the state of Israel and calls for peacefully dismantling it.
According to the group, Jews are not allowed to have their own state until the coming of the Messiah and any attempt of creating one is a violation of the will of God.
The group, whose name literally means ‘Guardians of the City,’ also attributes the exile of the Jews to the sins they have committed.
Members of Neturei Karta are estimated at 5,000, mostly based in Jerusalem with smaller communities in London and New York City.
Rabi Moshe Hirsch, who died in May 2010, was a close friend of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and served as Minister of Jewish Affairs in his government.
Hirsch paid frequent visits to Arafat when he was besieged by Israel in his Ramallah residence. When Hirsch died, several Palestinian leaders were among the mourners who visited his house to pay tribute to him for his role in the Palestinian cause.
Hirsch was the son-in-law of Aharon Katzenelbogen, the founder of Neturei Karta.
(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid).