Their special arm band is a framed Ivy League degree. |
You mean Likud? |
DP. It was spot on. You are in denial about just how despised Israel is among better educated younger people. |
The Likud party motto is from the river to the sea. |
| Israel doesn’t even have a constitution because it never plans on marking the states borders. It wants to copy the US and have some sort of manifest destiny expansion over the entire Levant |
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In many of the maps of “Greater Israel” dissolved by extremists, Lebanon and Jordan are unmarked and the territories are added into “Greater Israel”.
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If you actually believe that, I’m frightened to ask you to provide a definition of what the word “exist” means to you. |
Exist. Be recognized as a legitimate sovereign state. Beyond that, they have to navigate complex international relations like every other state. Existence means not entertaining wiping Israel from the map or claiming it's an illegitimate occupier. Existence doesn't define its borders. Personally, I think they need to remove settlements from the West Bank and I'm in favor of a two state solution. Existence isn't about superiority. The "chosen-ness" of the Jewish people is about a particular relationship with God, not one that is necessarily better, just one that is ours. Anyway, I'm not sure what you expected "existence" to mean? |
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https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/29/politics/israel-gaza-americans-poll-chicago/index.html
Of note: While about 60% of Americans view the US as playing a generally positive role in “resolving problems in the Middle East,” their views of Israel’s conduct is less generous. Only 39% said Israel is a positive force. 39% could keep a straight face while claiming that Israel is a positive force. Meanwhile, you have Israel-first propagandists running around in here claiming that the USA is monochromatically pro-Israel and will continue to be so, no matter what Israel does in continuing its murderous campaign of terror in the Middle East. |
When pushed to make a sober statement, the one you provided is 100% welcome by me and the kind of sentiment that I could wholeheartedly support. But to expose the rot, can you tell us how that statement reflects the views of Netanyahu and even the voters whose votes resulted in this Likud-led government? I mean, surely you don't expect anyone to believe that your views - top to bottom - reflect his, right? |
I don't like Bibi (I did 15 years ago, but not now). There were multiple attempts at elections that failed to achieve an actual government in Israel before Bibi ended up back in power, and there have been regular protests against him since his election. I see all that and think that, while it's awful that he ended up in power again and has the power to shape Israeli policy, it's hardly because Israelis really wanted him to lead again. Some do, yes, but he's not super popular, even during wartime when nationalism would usually give leaders a boost. |
OK, well, I can’t take issue with anything you’ve said in these last two posts. On the flip side, I hope you recognize that not every individual critical of Israel’s policies and actions blames every Israeli, much less every Jewish person, for the Israeli government’s bad deeds. |
I think one of the real problems is that there is no generally recognized and agreed definition of Zionism but I think the vast majority of people who consider themselves Zionists are not defining it as just Israel has a right to exist. There almost always is also a qualifier that Israel will be a Jewish state. And the problem is that Israel can’t currently be a true pluralist democracy and a Jewish state. |
Not a ton to quibble with, but the jury settled the question of the illegitimacy of the occupation of certain lands in and around Israel long ago. The international community has been clear - Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights and the West Bank is wholly illegitimate. That's a big disconnect from how you couch it, but other statements you have made seem reasonable. |