(JTA) — Scottish Jews said they were “outraged” by a recent Church of Scotland paper which denies Jews any special claim to the land of Israel.
The report entitled “The Inheritance of Abraham” rejects “claims that scripture offers any peoples a privileged claim for possession of a particular territory” and says that “reconciliation can only be possible if the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the blockade of Gaza are ended.”
The Scottish Council of Jewish Communities said in a statement posted on its website Friday that the report published this week was “an outrage to everything that interfaith dialogue stands for” and “reads like an Inquisition-era polemic against Jews and Judaism.”
“The arrogance of telling the Jewish people how to interpret Jewish texts and Jewish theology is breathtaking,” the Jewish council said.
It declared that the report “closes the door on meaningful dialogue” and called on the church to withdraw it ahead of its forthcoming General Assembly.
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