Comments on: New NYTimes J’lem bureau chief accused of bias against Likud

By: mareli

mareli — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 03:07:56 +0000

It does not seem that one Jewish state with Hebrew as its national language is too many. There are at least a dozen Arab Muslim states, with other Muslim majority countries in addition who could provide them with support. II feel sympathy for the original Palestinians who lost land in 1947-48, but no more than for any victims in any war who lost land, lives, and fortunes. Jews have been driven from country to country for millennia whenever the rulers wanted a scapegoat for the masses to blame for their misery. Now at least the Jews have Israel as a refuge, but some people don’t want them to have one anywhere. The location of the current Jewish state is the most historically logical one, and the history of the last century has shown the need for one.

By: Modechai ben Yosef

Modechai ben Yosef — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:39:46 +0000

In 2012 the US exists. And it is a caucasian majority state. It has every right to control who gets to immigrate to the US.

Every country has the “right” to control immigration. When its done on the basis of race or religion, most will call it racist. Japan does have a racist immigration policy, and its 20th century history in Asia underscored its nationalist, racist policies. So Steve, if your model for Israel is Imperial Japan, then I will throe some peanuts.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:38:08 +0000

“Israel needs to be more fair to people who want to destroy Israel!!!!”
\
The peanut gallery

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:36:15 +0000

To CORTEZ:

You are clearly educated, yet talking in circles trying to twist your own brain into making dishonest excuses as to why Israel’s majority should not get to control who gets to immigrate into Israel while every other country in the world does get to control it.
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It’s 2012. Israel exists. And it is a Jewish-majority state. Israel has every right to control who gets to immigrate to Israel, just like all the other countries in that region and across most of planet Earth.
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Your comment on Japan is just silly. Japan is literally 98.5 percent Japanese. It’s far more exclusive and less diverse than Israel is.
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And as for Arab Palestinians, most of them live in the Jordan, the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon and elsewhere.
Sorry.

By: Cortez

Cortez — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:18:18 +0000

“Almost every ethnic/national homeland on Earth makes it hard for people who are not the majority to become citizens. Take a look at Japan. If you aren’t Japanese and aren’t from Japan, it’s impossible impossible to gain citizenship there. According to the CIA World Factbook, Japan is 98.5 percent Japanese. But do you ever hear the expression “Japanese supremacists” thrown around? NEVER! And it’s not like anyone is trying to destroy Japan. Israel actually DOES have people trying to undo its existence, so if any country has the “right” to be extra cautious, it’s Israel. Yet only Israel gets that insane, dishonest label thrown at it.”
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Umm, except Israel was founded by Europeans (not Sephardic or what one might formally call Arab Jews or Mizrahi) on the ethnic homeland of other people who mostly had a different language, culture and religion, and has done nothing significant to assimilate the local inhabitants (inside and outside its borders) culturally into the larger Jewish or Zionist dream since that time. I would understand if Israel treated non-Jews in Israel as “first peoples,” or “native,” like Canada and the U.S. does with Native Americans(not that this is a particular great standard). I would understand if Israel wanted to Judaize “the others,” similar to what Turkey has done with Kurds (with much failure) or what the Persians have done with the Azeri or Kurds. Alternatively one can look at the diversity of Lebanese and Egyptian people when it comes to ethno-religious groups and identity. In fact, even if you use the example of Japanese, they only recently recognized their native population, the Ainu, as a sub-ethnic group, but before that they were considered wholly Japanese as a cultural, legal and government matter. Its quite different when you have other people who are also connected to the ethnic/national homeland.
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Plus, if one makes the basis of exclusion on a claim of ethnic/homeland ancestry…then one invariably must include most Arabs in Israel and the oPt if one wishes to be accurate in terms of history and genetics…since most Palestinians are essentially Arabicized and Islamicized Israelities /Jews who share a “relatively” recent Jewish ancestor in the Levant with their Kurdish Muslim, Ashkenazic and Sephardic cousins among other closely related groups. Should others be excluded from citizenship or have less rights based on their religion, ethnic-affiliation or race when they have the same ancestral claim?

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:20:38 +0000

Almost every ethnic/national homeland on Earth makes it hard for people who are not the majority to become citizens. Take a look at Japan. If you aren’t Japanese and aren’t from Japan, it’s impossible impossible to gain citizenship there. According to the CIA World Factbook, Japan is 98.5 percent Japanese. But do you ever hear the expression “Japanese supremacists” thrown around? NEVER! And it’s not like anyone is trying to destroy Japan. Israel actually DOES have people trying to undo its existence, so if any country has the “right” to be extra cautious, it’s Israel. Yet only Israel gets that insane, dishonest label thrown at it.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:13:59 +0000

PIOTR BERMAN writes: “Currently, Israel is a “Jewish State” in the sense of Jewish supremacy.”
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My Response: No, Israel is a “Jewish state” in the sense that the vast majority of citizens of the country are Jewish, and it’s the world’s only Jewish-majority state, and the only reason it was founded was for the Jewish people to have a homeland. It has nothing to do with “supremacy.” But the majority in Israel do have advantages in immigration and other things just like the majority populations of ALMOST EVERY COUNTRY ON EARTH other than maybe a select few have over their minority populations.

By: zayzafouna

zayzafouna — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:51:38 +0000

Steve
Offensive comment removed by moderator. Zayzafouna, we’d be the judge of who can write here, thanks.

By: zazyafouna

zazyafouna — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:44:21 +0000

Steve
Offensive comment removed by moderator. Zayzafouna, we’d be the judge of who can write here, thanks.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:56:24 +0000

To ZAYZAFOUNA:

There is nothing “progressive” about you people seeking to destroy Israel and remove the world’s only Jewish state from existence. Neo-nazis are on your side, radical islamic fundamentalists are on your side, terrorist organizations are on your side, and other bigots as well. And then a tiny percentage of extreme, EXTREME left, mentally ill people who may allegedly be Jewish.