Israel PM demands Palestinians recognize Jewish state

Ah Bibi. Neve misses an opportunity to not miss the opportunity...of being an @$$hole.

Palestinians should recognize Israel state, and Israelis should recognize Palestine state. That's fair.

'You can't steal what already belongs to you' I think you misunderstood me. I beleive in Israel's right to exist. I was talking about stealing land. Are you saying that Israel's encroachment into Palestinian territory and building settlements is on land which belongs to Israel?

Oh Israel. Are you a country or a religion? If a country, then just stick to the name Israel and leave out the 'Jewish State' part, it just confuses things.

Stop stealing land which nobody apart from poisonous rightwingers and religious crackpots believes is part of a Jewish state. That could help in the credibility stakes.

What does it mean to be a "Jewish state" anyway? It's an outdated, exclusionary, and fundamentally anti-democratic fantasy. Same for Muslim fantasies about Islamic republics, shariah law in Gaza, etc.

Learn to live with each other. Tear down the walls you constructed around yourselves.

It just confuses things.

Only if you don't understand that Jews are a people, and that Israel is a Jewish State in exactly the same manner that Ireland is a Irish State, Japan is a Japanese State, Egypt is an Egyptian State and Turkey is a Turkish State.

If you object to Egypt to being an Egyptian State, than the problem you have is with nationalism. Fair enough. But don't go singling out Israel for this. To do so is to deny Jews that which all other peoples have a right to:

Self-Determintation.

In short, to do so is to be, by definition, an anti-Semite.

Oh Israel. Are you a country or a religion? If a country, then just stick to the name Israel and leave out the 'Jewish State' part, it just confuses things.

I've always wondered about that... is every single person in Israel Jewish?

JTDanMan

Exactly my point. Shouldn't Israel just be an 'Israeli State' thus fitting the pattern of all the other examples you gave?

JTDanMan

Yes, Jews are a people, but not in the same way that the Irish are a people. The difference is that one cannot become Jewish (which is the standard view). You then have a political entity built on genetics. How does self-determination fit with that? Is it possible to have a democratic state that by definition is exclusionary? How do Arab Israelis feel about the term "Jewish state"?

I agree completely with Israel's right to exist, and think the Palestinians must recognize it. I also believe that Jews have a right to protect and celebrate their cultural heritage. But I disagree that anyone who has a problem calling Israel a Jewish state is categorically anti-Semitic.

JTDanMan

I hate to enlighten you but I'd say the country of Israel is far more established than the country of Palestine (which isn't actually a country....yet). All I'm saying is leave religion out of the name. Is America a Christian state? I think not. Let Israel fight to be Israel, not a group of people who mostly have the same religion.

If the Palestinians would back off and recognize the state of Israel as a legitimate state of the Jewish people and at the same time, the need to recognize there is a Palestinian state in the West Band and Gaza and and Hezbollah will put down their weapons and call for peace, which everyone would benefit from it.

@JTDan at least you can't call Netanyahu weak under ANY circumstance.

Because evicting them from their homes and building settlements will surely get them to recognise Israel. Idiot.

But bombing and attacking Israelis will help the Palestinians to faster establish and get their own state.

Regarding Turkey being a Turkish state, tell the Armenians and the Kurds. One of whom has no country.

Israel is the country; Jews are a people. Israeli's are, at this point in history, not a people.

That you are confused by this says a bit more about you than about the nature of the problem.

Yeah, I got it. You think Jewish only means religious. It doesn't.

"Jewish" describes the people. That is the whole point of Zionism. I am truly sorry you fail to understand that Zionism was the national liberation of the Jewish people.

@jimizo

Stop stealing land which nobody apart from poisonous rightwingers and religious crackpots believes is part of a Jewish state. That could help in the credibility stakes.

You can't steal what already belongs to you.

@plasticmonkey

Learn to live with each other. Tear down the walls you constructed around yourselves.

I agree, that is EXACTLY what virtually almost every Israeli wants. If the Palestinians can recognize Israel as the legitimate Jewish state (that's what it is, regardless of what the world thinks) peace can be achieved. That would be the best thing for everyone.