Rabbi: Katrina punishment to the U.S. for supporting pullout

Rabbi: Katrina punishment to the U.S. for supporting pullout -
I just can't beleive that any one -religuous/non religous/bigot whatever- can consider Katerina God's paunishment ... what has it all to do with the poor people of Louisiana?!!

Dood az kaleh adam dar meiad age shakh dar neaiad!

Rabbi: Katrina punishment to the U.S. for supporting pullout
9/7/2005 9:00:00 PM GMT


The Israeli rabbi Ovadia Yosef is known for his racist remarks against Muslims and Arabs.

Hurricane Katrina is God punishment to the U.S. for supporting Gaza withdrawal, Israel Rabbi, Ovadia Yosef, said in comments published Wednesday by Ynetnews.

In his weekly sermon, the rabbi said: “There was a tsunami and there are terrible natural disasters, because there isn’t enough Torah study… black people reside there (in New Orleans). Blacks will study the Torah? (God said) let’s bring a tsunami and drown them.”

“Hundreds of thousands remained homeless. Tens of thousands have been killed. All of this because they have no God,” said the rabbi, known for his racist comments against Arabs and Muslims.

“Bush was behind the (evacuation of) Gush Katif (Gaza Strip),” he said.

"He encouraged Sharon to expel Gush Katif…we had 15,000 people expelled here, and there 150,000 (were expelled). It was God’s retribution..God does not short-change anyone.”

The rabbi proceeded to explain in detail why Americans deserved the Hurricane.

“He (Bush) perpetrated the expulsion. Now everyone is mad at him…this is his punishment for what he did to Gush Katif, and everyone else who did as he told them, their time will come, too,” the rabbi said.

"Rubbish"
In a talk with Ynet, Knesset Member Eliezer Cohen (National Union) rejected Ovadia’s comments as “rubbish”.

“I know meteorology well enough not to believe such rubbish,” he said.

Also Knesset Member Ronny Brison said: “What, God is cross-eyed? He metes out punishments at the wrong place? We’re sick and tired of Rabbi Ovadia’s primitive worldview. He already did his part, he can remove himself from public life.”

The rabbi’s remarks echoed what many ultra-Orthodox followers believe, that recent natural disasters in the U.S. are God’s punishment to the U.S. for its support to PM Ariel Sharon’s Gaza pullout.