Israel Passes Law Declaring Itself Nation-State of the Jewish People

[DavidB.]

Very good move. Apparently Israel being a Jewish state is still controversial after 70 years, so let's enshrine it into law.

[DavidB.]

The legal consecration of the already existing spacial segregation is a tragedy and a sign that Israel might evolve towards undemocratic forms of state. Terrible development.

This part was taken out of the law because President Rivlin didn't like it.

The question is whether there is any need to reaffirm this fact with ornamental legislation, given the antagonism (rightly or wrongly) it will cause.

"Nationalism for me, but not for thee", Santander?

[DavidB.]

The left only cares about minorities these days. No wonder they can't get majorities to vote for them anymore.

[DavidB.]

Well South Africa was a white state (or Afrikaner) and Likud supported the Afrikaners in South Africa, so I can see the connection.

This sounds like it was intended as some sort of a gotcha, but you don't really think I mind Israel having done this, do you?

[DavidB.]

Quite the badge of honor coming from you!

[DavidB.]

Nope, Jerusalem is actually divided by a wall. Despite what Israeli politicians try to tell the world, it's not a united city and never has been. There's an actual, physical barrier dividing the East from the West. So both De Jure and De Facto it isn't part of Israel right now.

What? You know this isn't true. The wall is located on the outskirts of the city. Some parts of East Jerusalem are outside it, but big parts are inside it too. You can hop on the light rail at Yafo Street and get out in Beit Hanina (or Pisgat Ze'ev, for that matter) without having a clue that you crossed the green line.

[DavidB.]

While I think that the "appartheid" calls are tiresome and historically inaccurate in any case, this is one of the major reasons I want a 2SS- I don't want to live in a country where we have to resort to questionable tactics to keep our majority. It's not just wrong- it's a barrel of gunpowder waiting to explode, especially if the Palestinians grow faster than the Jews (which isn't a guarantee, but still). The 7.4-5 demographics are bad and I don't expect them to substantially shift in favour of the Jews in the next decades. So in essence, we need to divorce the Palestinians. It's practically an existential need for the Jewish, Democratic State.

In addition, the demographic development in Jewish Israeli society alone will already not exactly lead to an improvement of the position of those Israelis who both value freedom and, at the same time, are economically productive in a meaningful sense. In a state where Jews make up only 60% of the inhabitants in the first place, the share of non-haredi Jews will be reduced to perhaps one third of society, which will lead to a decreasingly free climate, brain drain, and a push towards theocracy -- neither of which are positive things.

[DavidB.]

Israeli historian Ilan Pappé said the following to a Spanish journalist:

"If Israel is not able to sign peace agreements with its neighbours, it will end like the Crusaders. We will be expelled within 50. 100 or 200 years. We are a strange body embedded in the region".

Taking Ilan Pappe seriously, wow... Are you going to come up with Kevin MacDonald next? Because that's about the same level of delusional antisemitism.

Also interesting how you're apparently okay with the idea that Jews are responsible for preventing their own expulsion from the Middle East because they would be a "strange body" (fascist language much?), but foreigners get to move to Europe in unlimited numbers and it's not their, but native Europeans' responsibility that they get along. Following that analogy, surely the other peoples of the Middle East have a responsibility to be fair to Israelis too? And surely Israelis have lived there for generations now? But nah, Jews have fewer rights according to Velasco. He's not losing sleep over the potential ethnic cleansing of Jews. Duly noted.

Writer David Grossman says that despite the overwhelming military power of Israel (dozens of nuclear bombs, combat aircraft, tanks) and the weakness of the people that Israel fights on the ground, in their minds Israelis are still victims. Certainly that country has a complex and singular psychology.

It doesn't exactly take a genius to understand why Jews consider themselves victims given history. Other nations have the luxury to think history started after WW2. Not us. And the genocidal attitude of Israel's neighbors compared to the utter lack of interest in or care about our survival that outsiders have shown time and again -- in that sense, you are certainly more the rule than the exception -- mean that we take our survival seriously. We have to. Nobody else is going to do it.

Don't need to remember that the State of Israel is responsible for war crimes and human rights violations. Every Israeli administration in the last two decades is more fanatic and extremist than the precedent. The only country that could force them to accept a solution is unwilling to do anything. Even Obama was unable to force Bibi to give in. It's incredible.

More blood libel-tier nonsense. It's clear on which side you would have been in the past.

[DavidB.]

Love it when outsiders who have made it abundantly clear that they do not have the best interests for Israel and the Jewish people at heart suddenly start providing unsolicited advise -- particularly when doing so in a condescending manner, using the imperative mode. Once again shows that Zionism is not only just, but also necessary: we really cannot depend on people like you and their advise for our survival.