Anti-Zionist rabbi and Arafat ally Moshe Hirsch dies in Jerusalem at 86

Anti-Zionist rabbi Moshe Hirsch dies in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM — An ultra-Orthodox Jewish group says Moshe Hirsch, an anti-Zionist rabbi and close associate of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, has died in Jerusalem. He was 86.

Hirsch was a leading figure in Neturei Karta, a tiny ultra-Orthodox sect that opposes Israel’s existence and has embraced its enemies.

Arafat, who died in 2004, appointed Hirsch his adviser on Jewish affairs.

The group is known for its members’ 2006 trip to Iran, where they embraced President Mahmoud Ahmadienjad at a Holocaust-denying conference. It also supports Gaza’s Hamas rulers.

The sect has drawn criticism even from other anti-Zionist Jewish groups, which believe that only the Messiah can establish a Jewish state.

Eida Haredit, an umbrella group of anti-Zionist Jewish sects, confirmed Hirsch died on Sunday.