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Preface: I'm an Israeli Jew, born in the United States. I've lived in Israel since 1995, and now have a family (with three children). I could respond to this

by reuven 14y ago

Preface: I'm an Israeli Jew, born in the United States. I've lived in Israel since 1995, and now have a family (with three children). I could respond to this comment by saying, "Why be so negative toward Israel, when there are so many countries that treat people so much worse?" But even though I believe that there are indeed countries with far worse human-rights records than Israel, and which treat citizens and non-citizens worse than we do -- it doesn't comfort me to hear, or to know, that we do a lot of things wrong. I could say that if you feel this way about Israel, that you should be equally adamant about boycotting China, Syria, Saudia Arabia, or Iran, let alone Russia or other "illiberal democracies." But that's a cheap excuse; after all, I didn't move to Israel, and I don't believe in the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty, by creating and fostering a country with a dismal human-rights record. The sad fact is that Israel doesn't treat the Palestinians well. As a religious Israeli Jew, I find much of that treatment to be an embarrassment, giving me pause regarding the type of country that we've established here, and the future of Judaism in a sovereign state. That said, I'm pretty liberal in Israeli political terms, and the bloodthirsty words I hear coming from the Hamas leadership, along with the more muted tones I hear from the Fatah-led West Bank, make even me wonder if we can trust the Palestinians. I have to hope that the answer is "yes," because if we can't ever trust each other, then we'll never reach a peace treaty, or ever reach a reasonable compromise. In the end, I get comfort from knowing that Israel is a democracy, with a very strong tradition of free speech and free press, in which all sorts of opinions are allowed, if not welcomed. I have to hope and assume that while the process might be messy, and might take far longer than I like, Israeli governments will eventually manage to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians. Oh, and to claim that Israel is interested in genocide is pure nonsense, and makes an already complex situation into a set of bumper stickers and meaningless statements. To bring this back to the HN focus on startups: One of the reasons for Israelis to compromise, and to reach an agreement with the Palestinians, is to see that we have a lot to lose by not compromising. The rapid growth of high tech in Israel has changed the face of the country, making it stronger and wealthier than ever before. I believe, and maybe I'm wrong here, that the strength, wealth, and integration into the global economy gives Israel an opportunity to negotiate from a position of strength. In other words, Google's entry into Israel's startup scene has the potential to chip away at the problems you have with Israel. It will take time, because things always do in democratic countries, and especially when failure in your foreign and defense policy means the potential death of yourself and your loved ones. So instead of calling Israel names, and saying that the world should simply disengage from what we're doing here, I encourage you to take a more nuanced view, to talk to actual Israelis about what we're doing (and not doing), and to see how we can improve the world through startups and high-tech inventiveness. Google is having a more direct, positive affect on the peace process than your comment did, and for that I commend them.

accountswu 14y ago
What Chutzpah you've got, born in US has the right to be a citizen of the settler state but natives cannot return and you want us all to support your Judeo-supremacist terrorist state? Take your hasbara somewhere else. Saudi, China etc are not settler states which deny equal rights to their people of certain race or ethnicity or religion, and they don't get $3 billion in aid from US for 7 million people of a preferred race only. Israeli apartheid regime gets more aid than sub-Saharan Africa and entire Latin America combined. Saudi, China etc haven't violated dozens or UN resolutions and don't get US diplomatic shielding for their war crimes. They are criticised for their brutal actions and so should Israeli terror be criticised. Stop demanding special treatment for your settler state. You can talk when you give equal rights to Palestinians, when you give the natives the right to return, at least the same rights as a US-born settler, if not more because they are the rightful owners of their land.
- reuven 14y ago
  The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of two national/ethnic groups having claim to the same piece of land. I accept the fact that Israel must compromise with the Palestinians, and relinquish some of the land that it has captured. I remember when this was a radical suggestion among Israelis; it is now quite mainstream, although you wouldn't know it from listening to our elected officials. To confuse this attitude with the superficial propaganda that our government puts out, and to say that the Palestinians (and not Jews) are the "rightful owners of the land," is a recipe for non-compromise and for continued conflict. Israel isn't going anywhere, and neither are Israelis. But the Palestinians aren't about to disappear, either. We can work together to try to resolve this conflict, accepting that each side has a claim to the land and attempting to share it -- or we, and our children, and their children, can continue to fight and live in fear. Remember how Germany and France fought, again and again, for oh-so-many years? After World War II, they decided that it was in their mutual best interest to connect their economies through what would eventually become the European Union. Perhaps, if we can connect and encourage cooperation between the Israeli and Palestinian economies, especially in the high-tech sector, we can begin to see such interdependence and trust in the Middle East, too.

by reuven 14y ago

accountswu 14y ago

What Chutzpah you've got, born in US has the right to be a citizen of the settler state but natives cannot return and you want us all to support your Judeo-supremacist terrorist state? Take your hasbara somewhere else. Saudi, China etc are not settler states which deny equal rights to their people of certain race or ethnicity or religion, and they don't get $3 billion in aid from US for 7 million people of a preferred race only. Israeli apartheid regime gets more aid than sub-Saharan Africa and entire Latin America combined. Saudi, China etc haven't violated dozens or UN resolutions and don't get US diplomatic shielding for their war crimes. They are criticised for their brutal actions and so should Israeli terror be criticised. Stop demanding special treatment for your settler state. You can talk when you give equal rights to Palestinians, when you give the natives the right to return, at least the same rights as a US-born settler, if not more because they are the rightful owners of their land.

reuven 14y ago
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of two national/ethnic groups having claim to the same piece of land. I accept the fact that Israel must compromise with the Palestinians, and relinquish some of the land that it has captured. I remember when this was a radical suggestion among Israelis; it is now quite mainstream, although you wouldn't know it from listening to our elected officials. To confuse this attitude with the superficial propaganda that our government puts out, and to say that the Palestinians (and not Jews) are the "rightful owners of the land," is a recipe for non-compromise and for continued conflict. Israel isn't going anywhere, and neither are Israelis. But the Palestinians aren't about to disappear, either. We can work together to try to resolve this conflict, accepting that each side has a claim to the land and attempting to share it -- or we, and our children, and their children, can continue to fight and live in fear. Remember how Germany and France fought, again and again, for oh-so-many years? After World War II, they decided that it was in their mutual best interest to connect their economies through what would eventually become the European Union. Perhaps, if we can connect and encourage cooperation between the Israeli and Palestinian economies, especially in the high-tech sector, we can begin to see such interdependence and trust in the Middle East, too.