By JERUSALEM POST STAFFneturei karta anti zionist gaza 248 88(photo credit: )
A small group of anti-Zionist Jews were preparing Friday to spend Shabbat in Gaza, in an unlikely show of support for Palestinians in the Hamas-run Strip.
Bearded and wearing black hats and coats, the four Neturei Karta men were a rare sight in the Gaza Strip.
Members of the Neturei Karta group have expressed support for the Iranian regime and for others who oppose the Jewish state, which they believe was established in violation of Jewish law. They made a similar visit to Gaza last year.
"It's crucial that the people of Gaza understand the terrible tragedy here is not in the name of Judaism," said one of the men, Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss of New York City.
The four men are American and Canadian citizens. Israel bans its citizens from visiting the blockaded territory. Weiss and his comrades entered Gaza through a border crossing with Egypt.
Neturei Karta, Aramaic for "Guardians of the City," was founded seven decades ago in Jerusalem by Jews who opposed the drive to establish the state of Israel, believing only the Messiah could do that.
Considered marginal even among ultra-Orthodox Jews, the group's size is estimated at between a few hundred to a few thousand people
