Vatican Conspires With Hizbullah: Israel

The Israeli army has been giving its soldiers a booklet suggesting that the Pope and cardinals of the Vatican are conspiring with Lebanon’s resistance group Hizbullah to kill Jews. "The book was received as a donation and distributed in good faith to the soldiers," a spokesman for the Israeli army said in a statement to the daily Haaretz published on Sunday, July 19.

Titled "On Either Side of the Border," the booklet was published by the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America in cooperation with the chief rabbi of Safed city Shmuel Eliahu.

It claims that the Vatican organizes tours of Auschwitz -- Nazi concentration camp -- for Hizbullah members to teach them how to "wipe out" Jews.

According to the book, Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah was invited to join a delegation to tour France, Poland and Italy, including the Vatican.

The booklet also accuses European politicians and journalists of ostensibly working against Israel.

The authors claim that the book, which has been distributed among soldiers for the past few months, is the testimony of a Hizbullah officer who spied for Israel.

He reportedly changed his from Ibrahim to Avi after he left Hizbullah and converted to Judaism.

Senior officers and commanders have encouraged the booklet's distribution, according to the Israeli daily.

Popular

David Menahemov, an aide to Rabbi Eliahu, claims the booklet is a true story.

"Avi is a real person and everything in the book is absolutely true," he told Haaretz.

"It's a totally true story, I know the guy personally. He's an Arab, who even though he converted still acts like an Arab," he contends.

"We helped him to write and to translate it. We changed a few details to protect him and his family."

Israeli soldiers say that though the army has stopped distributing the booklet, it is easily available and widely popular among the troops.

"The book is distributed regularly and everyone reads it and believes it," one soldier told the Israeli daily.

"It's filled with made-up details but is presented as a true story," he added.

"A whole company of soldiers, adults, told me: 'Read this and you'll understand who the Arabs are.'"

IslamOnline