Netanyahu doesn't want to take in more Syrian Refugees

[DavidB.]

Yeah, taking in Syrian refugees would surely be a great idea for Israel If people who want Israel to be destroyed as a Jewish state in the first place are mad with some Likud policy, then it's no big deal.

[DavidB.]

Israel has all kinds of crazy minor political parties that I think we both agree are dangerous. While I understand Syria is very hostile towards Israel it only seems natural to me that refugees willing to risk their lives to go to Israel would be less anti-Semitic. I would least hope you'd be accepting a more conservative policy of accepting 500-1000 more refugees if you detest Assad and care about despair in the Middle East as much as you profess.

Actually, I'm not really sure as to what parties you're talking about. Could you clarify that? I could probably understand it if people would consider Otzma Yehudit (currently not in parliament) dangerous, even though I think it's a bit of a stretch. All the others? Not so much. Bennett is a visionary, while Lieberman might be a wacko, but not a dangerous one. I actually think there are some parties on the left that hold truly dangerous views, but that was probably not what you were talking about.

If we're talking about 500-1000 refugees then we're talking about sheer symbolism. And while that is not problematic in and of itself - for many meaningful political actions can be boiled down to sheer symbolism - it's not as if Israel will truly be contributing to solving the problems by doing so. I'd surely be in favor of taking in people who hold no grudge against Israel and have some "baggage" that would render seeking help in other neighboring countries problematic, such as LGBTs and Yazidis, and I don't really care if that would be 100 or 10,000 individuals if the selection is truly good and Israel is really not taking in terrorists/haters. However, given the circumstances and the fact that a country doesn't really get to pick and choose who it wants, I understand the government's response.

[DavidB.]

Yep, Israel may not have the world's biggest fan club, but most people get why Israel make this choice. This is not Israel bull dozing Palestinian villages or Israeli terrorist burning Palestinians alive, this is a quite logical policy, through if they was smart they made a exception for Druzes.

Well, maybe not. Druze are extremely loyal to their countries (a logical attitude, given their history of persecution and secrecy). So while Israeli Druze are loyal to Israel, Syrian Druze are loyal to Assad and often hate Israel (the same goes for many Druze in the Golan heights, who still have problems with living in Israel sometimes - some "choose for Israel" while others don't, and this is tearing families apart because it's so important for them). I am totally in favor of taking in Syrian Druze if they don't hate Israel though.

[DavidB.]

Yes, I agree with that.

[DavidB.]

entirely dependant on the grace of a large superpower/sugar daddy to cover the cost of all my crap

I happen to agree with gradually phasing out US aid to Israel. But what you're saying is just full nonsense. According to estimations, US aid accounts for 1 to 4% of Israel's budget. That is way too much and it hurts both the US and Israel: it gives the US an excuse to treat Israel like a colony, and it gives Israel an excuse to feel too safe relying on a partner that, in the end, will always seek its own interest instead of Israel's, which is logical because that's how this world works and the US isn't a pro-Israel NGO. However, "entirely dependent" is simply not the case. For many people, US aid is just a ploy to be negative about Israel. I think you would have posted a hateful statement about Bibi's policies if the US wouldn't give Israel aid as well, so please stop pretending it's about that. In the end, it doesn't really matter for anyone.

[DavidB.]

Not talking about our alliance with the US, as they really haven't taken any stance on the refugee crisis either way. This is more about Europe and "global authorities", to which I fully stand by my statements.

I totally agree.

[DavidB.]

It's almost as if it was created for the sole purpose of keeping a tiny ethnic group safe from genocidal aggression.

This is not why Israel has been created, and by stating that it is, your argumentation becomes vulnerable to the criticism that has been given by the person I have on ignore. Jews being safe from genocidal aggression in Israel is only one of the positive consequences of its creation.

Israel has been created because it's the Jewish people's eternal homeland, and we belong there more than anywhere else in the world. This is the reason we entered the land in the first place, this is the reason that we lived there in ancient times, and this is the reason we returned after being forced to live in exile by consequence of the fact that our previous Israeli state had been destroyed.