‘They have no rights’: Israel’s Sephardi Chief Rabbi denies existence of Palestinian people
Hacham David Yosef in 2024
The Palestine Chronicle reports on 23 August 2026:
Key Takeaways
- Israel’s Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef declared that “there is no such thing as a Palestinian people” and that Palestinians “have no rights.”
- Yosef claimed Gaza and cities in the occupied West Bank are for Jews and called for the destruction of Gaza and the establishment of Jewish settlements.
- The remarks drew condemnation over their denial of Palestinian identity and rights and their dehumanizing implications amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
‘No Such Thing as a Palestinian People’
Israel’s Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef denied the existence of Palestinians as a people and declared that they “have no rights” during an address at the Gush Katif Museum in West Jerusalem. “There is no such thing as a Palestinian people and they have no rights,” Yosef reportedly said.
According to reports of the speech, the chief rabbi went further, laying Jewish claim to the Gaza Strip and cities throughout the occupied West Bank. Yosef also called for the destruction of Gaza and the establishment of Jewish settlements in the Palestinian enclave.
His remarks came amid growing calls from senior Israeli officials and far-right political and religious figures for the re-establishment of settlements in Gaza and the displacement of its Palestinian population.
Claims to Gaza and the West Bank
The location of Yosef’s speech carries particular significance. The Gush Katif Museum commemorates the bloc of Israeli settlements that existed in the Gaza Strip until Israel dismantled them as part of its 2005 disengagement from the enclave.