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Anonymous's avatar

I thought no state had the right to exist?

https://jewishcurrents.org/there-is-no-right-to-a-state

Beinart, you must think your audience are a bunch of idiots. But as Norman Finkelstein said, you're only clever in your cult. You can dress up your desire to destroy Israel in whatever clothing you like, but the rest of us can see right through it. This claim that *Israel* has a right to exist but its *political system* doesn't is total nonsense. And yes, it is unfair and it is anti-Semitic.

When the US criticizes other countries, we criticize their *policies.* We don't like that China mistreats Uighurs and we don't like that Xi is a dictator. But we don't say "China is an inherently oppressive country because not everyone who lives there is Chinese. China must change its name and inherent nature to be a state for all its citizens." And you know why we don't say that? Because countries have the right to national characters. When the Irish were agitating for independence, the British didn't accuse them of racism and discriminating against non-Irish people. The idea is absurd.

One more example: I have never seen the US or the UN or anyone else criticize any Arab state (including Palestine) simply for being an Arab state and discriminating against non-Arabs.

In fact Beinart recognizes in this column that only some Palestinians consider Palestine to be encompassing everyone who lives there. Those of us who read Palestine's constitution know this to be false. Yet Beinart seems to think contrary to all evidence that if the Palestinians are given the vote, the result will not be a sharia controlled fascist dictatorship that identifies as a Muslim and Arab state explicitly, and therefore a racist one by his own logic, like Palestine is now. It is a good thing therefore that Beinart is not taken seriously by anyone.

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Moonface60's avatar

The absurdity of some of these comments is truly stupefying. Is wanting to abolish segregation on the South equivalent to destroying it or wanting it to cease to exist? The two-state solution, Israel’s version of “separate but equal” offers neither separateness nor equality, let alone sovereignty, to the Palestinians, and merely implements formally, in perpetuity, some of the very same systems of oppression that the Jews have struggled under throughout their history. What has Peter done other than to confront this fact with the utmost honesty and courage, and search his conscience for a better way forward while staying true to his principles and faith? The Palestinians and Israelis may seem very different and incompatible at the moment, but as Peter has eloquently and extensively written about in the past, a justice and human rights-based approach can completely transform their attitudes towards each other. Before too long they would hopefully come to realise what many of us who know both communities well already know: That they have so much in common and ultimately have nothing to fear.

Keep up the great work Peter!

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