Holy shit a world leading saying something other than blind enthusiastic support of Israel
It is indeed surprising, but it’s just words. He’ll say this, then continue sending financial and military support. Nothing will come of this.
Ooh boy, cue the zealots foreign and domestic calling him an anti-semite for not supporting Israel even when they punch down and become the victimizers.
If your support for anything is unconditional, you are both blind and dangerous.
The distinction between anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli nationalism needs to be clarified more often.
I respect Jewish people’s right to peacefully practice their religion. (Though I disagree with all organized religions for their seemingly intrinsic capacity for inflicting harm by providing a haven for opportunistic demagogues and predators). I do not respect the Israeli military and police blowing up and beating Palestinian children to death, or ordinary people who say that violence is neceasary because they want more land.
There’s plenty of crazy people who think the other way, calling the religion unacceptable but embracing the nationalists who make human piñatas.
Zionism is a Jewish form of religious nationalism.
All Zionists are religious nationalists. Most people in Israel are right-wing lunatics who believe they’re entitled to the land in Israel because of their religion.
All Zionists are religious nationalists.
Ever heard of Socialist Zionism? The most important branch of Zionism in the first half of the 20th Century, decidedly leftist, decidedly socialist with some collectivist elements (kibbutzim for example), often areligious while remaining culturally Jewish, and a fairly strong advocacy of Jewish-Arab cooperation in its base, at least in the 1920s and 1930s.
… by giving away land that didn’t belong to them and that millions of people were already living on.
Finally! I hate how the US just bends over for Israel. Any religion involved in any government will turn fascist because they can’t stop hating all the other religions. Turns out people that believe in fairy tales aren’t that bright!
It’s not just the involvement of religion that’s problematic. There are a few other things:
Ultra-Orthodox Jews basically get paid by the government to sit around and do nothing for the economy. Meanwhile everyone else is obligated to conscript and fight wars that are often driven by Ultra-Orthodox Jews as a voting block.
If Gaza and the West Bank were fully absorbed and everyone living there given citizenship with voting rights, Muslims would outnumber Jews. Ignoring Muslim parties would no longer be an option. Israel’s moves seem largely to keep Palestinians permanently stateless, divided, disenfranchised, and continuously squeezed out of even the land they do have.
