The idea of a Jewish State harkens back to the time of Moses. Modern states are, for better or arguably worse, multi-ethnic. That's what's happened, and the Jews themselves used to be a higher proportion of Europe, once a big and famous part of the multi-ethnicities, often the most enlightened part, actually. I think the reality of diaspora focused not so much on the tribe, the branding, the defense team, and so on, but with the power of the religion and the complex society it creates and ideas it engenders.
Zionism is a step backward from modernity, back to the tribe, the branding, and the defense team uber al, the religion being about traditional support for such things (though initially many Orthodox were anti Zionist). But this is progress, ,according to the PR "hasbarats", the religion is becoming "stronger."
Progress so strong that modern Zionists scrawl "Arab" and "Death to Arabs" on buildings in the same ways as Nazis scrawled those things about Jews. The whole West Bank Occupation seems more farse, perhaps, though sometimes deadly. But what is the long range plan?
Israel was born in the war crime of a minority taking over 78% of the land initially by force and displacement of the once majority, some 750,000 Palestinians were sent to refugee camps in different countries, in 1948. Palestinians owned 90% of the land. The earlier UN plan, rejected by all Arab nations, was to have 55% of the land for the Jewish State. All Arabs preferred a single state for all in the original Palestine.
I have seen posts suggesting that Israel was doing no harm in 1967. But that ignores the still unsettled issues related to its criminal birth.
Chomsky suggests the peace effort focus on the Green Line internationally recognized borders. People think of him as anti-Israel but he actually does seem to have some fondness for the Israel he once lived in.
As for me, I think we'd be better off without a Jewish State, and especially Israel in it's current incarnation. I'd love to see the Chomsky solution but even that, I feel, is unfair to the Palestinians. A start towards fairness, as I have argued previously, is the right of return. I had also been thinking that the UN plan was more fair also--but even that was really unfair. It is beginning to seem to me that a fully democratic and equitable state of all it's original citizens and their descendants is the best solution, and as much as possible a full right of return and restoration of property. That would likely be an arab majority state, and not a Jewish state.
But we do have an Israel. I recognize that it exists merely by talking about it. It has developed endless pretexts as to why it can't negotiate with anyone, why it must ignore world opinion for security reasons, and so on. The security arguments have been debunked by many people. At least Israel could have complete security on the Green Line. But it refuses to go back to there.
What should we do? Stop giving any preferential treatment to Israel! No more military subsidies, no
more military support, no more special UNSC vetoes. Let them pay their own way and fight their own battles on every level, including with the UN. The State of Israel continues to a useless thug and liar, unable to deal with anyone. For decades they've exposed Americans to security risks--as the supporter of an inhuman regime that continues the war crime of 1948 we deserve to be hated by all Arabs.
Treat it's oppressed Palestinian people as their own country and let them defend themselves, by freely importing what they need for all purposes, including military. If there is any country we should attempt to be blocking military hardware and support to, it would be Israel.
Morally, anyway. Even enlightened US leadership would talk to outlaw Israel. Only Israel invents endless oaths (such as that you must first swear Israel has the right to exist) that counter parties must swear before they will consider talking, if they don't have to. Well they are simply taking, over a slow process. No need to talk about it with the takees.
I've heard the argument that Jews are special, they need their own state, etc. There are many places Jews can live respectably now. Including many parts of the USA. The best solution to discrimination is fight it, and there has been considerable improvement since the 1800's when Zionism was formulated. A secular multiethnic state may be even less possible than a Green Line state, but it would be a better solution.
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