Cameron Scott, Armchair Politician.

Thank you for your insight into the Palestinian situation. You speak as if you have been there. Oh wait- you haven't.

The Israeli's are responsible for this. They are the only ones that benefit from the destruction of the Palestinian people. They are giving arms to both sides, just like America did in the Iran-Iraq war. They want to see the destruction of the Palestinian people. The Israeli's are not stupid.

So, it's "good for the Jews" and Israel's (or for that matter The Jews) dream of destroying the Palestinans come true?
Sounds pretty much like hate speech to me.

For the euphemism of Hamas being the "more radical" group:
Hamas is on the lists of terror groups both in the US and the EU
that is why these states don't support the Hamas led government.
Even when democratically elected, a terror group is still a terror group.

I wish Motherjones would treat the Israel-Palestine conflict a little bit more differentiated.

Israel promotes NOT a vision of a inclusive "multi-cultural," "multi-ethnic" society (like we do in America) for Israel, but instead a racist exclusionary "Jewish state." It is racist because a Jew is defined as coming from a Jewish mother(genes). That state is openly dedicated to the advancement of the Jewish religion, culture, and even the genetic preservation of the Jewish people. It vigorously opposes intermarriage of Jews with non-Jews. Israel's Parliament has passed a law preventing Palestinians who marry Israelis from living in Israel. The move was denounced by international human rights organizations as racist, undemocratic and discriminatory. Israel uses racial profiling. Israel values Judaism above other religions. Israel should seek to be welcoming and inclusive and respect all religions, or even those with no religion. .
Israeli ethnocentric, chauvinism and xenophobic values are just too extreme. Israel does not share American values and let us therefore not share American taxpayer money with them. Israel needs to advance to the 21st century in its values. The days of racism should be a thing of the past. Israeli society is where America's society was 100 years ago. Israel can do better. Let us have that as our goal to advance Israel to the 21st century in the field of civil rights.

Why is it that even those who consider themselves sensitive to racism, stereotyping, profiling and all such things can't get a grip on the distinction between "Jews" and "The Israeli Government"?

It's about like considering every American, ex-patriots and all to be NeoCon Republicans.

Normally I don't comment to make clear what in my post was a joke and what wasn't. But in the interest of this being such a sensitive subject, I will chime in to say that "is it good for the Jews..." was used ironically. This question is often asked by Jewish people and it itself refers to Jews as a single entity, which in fact they're not. Those who use this expression use it in the service of making people feel or seem anti-Semitic if they oppose anything the Israeli government does. Which gvc and I agree is absurd. Just to be even clearer, there are, in fact, many Jewish people who disagree in greater or lesser measure with many policies of the Israeli government, especially those related to Palestinians.

Good for the Jews or bad for the Jews? Who cares. I'm sick of Israel running our lives and spending our money on killing Palestinians.

Cameron, why does it appear that some treat the Jews better than the Christians? Seems to me what we have here is "Jewish Privilege." Let us be equal in our treatment of all religious, ethnic, racial and gender groups without being afraid to have constructive criticism, like Noushin's post.

You bet this is my dream come true. The likes of Mother Jones have been telling me for 20 years that I shouldn't defend myself against those who would like to kill me and my children. Watching them do it to each other is on a par of watching Hitler and Stalin pummel each other bloody.

Seems like we're back to Menachem Begin's wisdom: Goyim are killing goyim, and they blame the Jews.

"Goyim are killing goyim." This racist remark provokes anti-Semitism. Goyim is a racist remark. That is why the UN said that Zionism is racism. On 3/28/01 Nelson Mandela Nobel Peace Prize awardee said in a public letter “If you follow the polls in Israel for the last 30 or 40 years, you clearly find a vulgar racism that includes a third of the population who openly declare themselves to be racist. This racism is of the nature of "I hate Arabs" and "I wish Arabs would be dead". If you also follow the judicial system in Israel you will see there is discrimination against Palestinians, and if you further consider the 1967 occupied territories you will find there are already two judicial systems in operation that represent two different approaches to human life: one for Palestinian life and the other for Jewish life. Additionally there are two different approaches to property and to land. Palestinian property is not recognised as private property because it can be confiscated. Palestinians are not struggling for a "state" but for freedom, liberation and equality, just like we were struggling for freedom in South Africa. Israel's racial discrimination is daily life of most Palestinians. Since Israel is a Jewish state, Israeli Jews are able to accrue special rights which non-Jews cannot do. Israel has deprived millions of Palestinians of their liberty and property. It has perpetuated a system of gross racial discrimination and inequality. It has systematically incarcerated and tortured thousands of Palestinians, contrary to the rules of international law. It has, in particular, waged a war against a civilian population, in particular children.” (3/28/01 Nelson Mandela Nobel Peace Prize letter)
Let us all reject racism.

Let's see, Rebecca: For 1,500 years Christians burned Jews at the stake, raped Jewish women and children and more because we referred to them as "non-Jews"? By your logic, the Crusades/Inquisition/Chelmeniki riots/Dreyfuss Affair/Holocaust/PLO terror/Hamas suicide bombers have all been a result of Jewish sins against the world. It's all our fault, you see. If only those damn Jews weren't so...

Sorry, babe, but the UN said Zionism is racism because the UN is held hostage by third-world despots who need a scapegoat to deflect the attention of dupes like you from their murderous tyranny. Sorry, but I consider condemnation from the likes of Saudi Arabia and Syria the greatest form of flattery.

Apart from your quote marks, you don't source your quote about "following the polls in Israel," so I don't know who made the remark. I would only caution against ascribing validity to a "peace prize" recipient merely because they are such: Hanan Ashrawi, winner of the Sydney Peace Prize, has made clear that the murder of Jewish Israelis would be legitimate if such moves furthered the goals of the Palestinian national movement. And let's not forget the infamous Nobel award to Mr Arafat…

As for your uninformed comment about Jewish racism, independent judicial systems for Jews and Arabs and "racial discrimination", I would draw your attention to the fact that all Palestinians – West Bankers and Israeli citizens alike – have access to Israel's Supreme Court, which has ruled in favour of Palestinians in many landmark decisions. It is true that West Bank Palestinians live under military occupation, but I find it interesting that you fail to note that Palestinians who appear before military courts are afforded full legal counsel – often at state expense – and often win their cases. Did you not know that, or did you just "happen" to leave that significant fact out of your diatribe?

Israelis of all backgrounds, including one million Arabs, vote in democratic elections, and Arab Knesset members and journalists are free to criticize the state without fear of reprisal. They are the only Arab politicians and journalists in the world with that privilege.

You have obviously never visited an Israeli hospital, in which Jewish and (Israeli-trained) Arab doctors treat Jewish and Arab patients on an equal basis, or any of Israel's universities, in which Jews and Arabs – including many from the West Bank - study and interact as equals.

You are correct in one respect: The Palestinians are not striving for a state. If they were, they would have had one years ago. The Palestinians are striving for the destruction of Israel and the murder of the Jews who live here –including me, my children and my wife. Yasser Arafat made that clear until his dying day, and subsequent, and the desire has been repeated by many a successor. Pardon me if I take exception to that plan.

Lastly, let us all reject racism, indeed. Let us reject the racism of every Arab state-run press, including the ones at "peace" with Israel, in which foul cartoons portray Jews, not Israelis, as child-eaters, wanton murders and worse. The cartoons would not have been out of place in Der Sturmer, the infamous Nazi publication of the 1930s.

Let us reject the words of Palestinian imams, identified with both Hamas and the supposedly "moderate" Fatah, who call openly for the murder of Jews and refer to us as "sons of pigs and monkeys." Let us reject the racism of the anti-Israel left, who has chosen to boycott the only Jewish country in the world, while at the same time happily ignoring the sins of China, Russia, Syria and dozens more.

"For 1,500 years Christians burned Jews at the stake, raped Jewish women and children and more." Unfortunately, this remark is the manifestation of racism and bigotry against the Christian society that you chose to live in. This is hate speech that should not be tolerated any more than blaming the Jews for the murder of the Christ and the persecution of the early church and the apostle Paul. It is so sad that people can be hateful and do not realize it. The Babylonian Talmud, the greatest religious and ethical authority for all observant Jews today, is replete with hatred for Jesus and Gentiles. The Zohar or “Kabbalah,” vows to displace Gentile and Christian power in this world by any means possible. Eventually, it predicts, Israel will rule over the nations under their messiah. Regardless of whatever perceived wrongs that the Christians may have done to your ancestors, why take it out on the Palestinians? If the Europeans did your ancestors wrong, why make the Palestinians pay for it? Your contempt for the UN, the organization for world peace, could indicate that you could be a follower of Michael Savage, that Zionist talk radio personality. Remember, Jesus loves you and so do I.

The Israels and Palastinians should borrow the South Afrikan model in their quest to solve their problems. Remember now, you don't talk peace with your friend; you talk peace with your enemy. They should sit down and talk unconditionally. Both Hamas and Fatah should sit down at the negotiating table.

Remember Nelson Mandela and the ANC? He was once called a terrorist. Guess what? He addressed the US Congress.

So, let's get on with it and save the ordinary people from further sufferation.

Bob Marley once said, "A hungry man is an angry man."

Ahh, Pastor George. How refreshing to hear the words of an unabashed, old fashioned bigot. But you forgot to mention the Jewish penchant for using Christian blood for Passover matza and the Elders of Zion plan to take over the world!

Since when is the simple mention of historical fact a "manifestation of racism and bigotry" and an example of "hate speech?" Would you also accuse me of racism if I mentioned the fact (at least I think it's a fact) that black people were kidnapped from Africa and brought to America by – you guessed it, European Christians?

Perhaps you reject my claim that Jews have been subjected to Church-sponsored hate for centuries. But if so, do you also question the validity of Jewish claims to have been gassed during World War II? Or the "claim" that Arab murderers butchered dozens of Jews in Hebron in 1929, 20 years before Israel's establishment and nearly 40 years before the Six Day War?

Now, I know it's in vogue in some circles to consider the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel as "taking out" centuries of European abuse on the Palestinians, and you can look at my previous post to see what I think of your accusation. But you've made the relevant points for me in your note: I'm unwanted in your "Christian society" (for the record, I live in Israel) yet you would deny me the right to build my own country. Sounds like a double-edged sword to me, no? (pardon the unfortunate pun).

As for the United Nations, this is not the forum for a detailed discussion of the UN's shameful record. I would only raise the bar of my disdain for that contemptible organisation. The facts about your "organization for world peace" speak for themselves.

Your offensive blessing of Jesus' love exposes your fundamental lack of respect for those who do not share your beliefs, and I will not stoop to respond. Your post says more about you than it does about me.

The following passages are from Rabbi Raphael's book Jews and Judaism in the United States a Documentary History (New York: Behrman House, Inc., Pub, 1983), pp. 14, 23-25.
"Jews also took an active part in the Dutch colonial slave trade; indeed, the bylaws of the Recife and Mauricia congregations (1648) included an imposta (Jewish tax) of five soldos for each Negro slave a Brazilian Jew purchased from the West Indies Company. Slave auctions were postponed if they fell on a Jewish holiday. In Curacao in the seventeenth century, as well as in the British colonies of Barbados and Jamaica in the eighteenth century, Jewish merchants played a major role in the slave trade. In fact, in all the American colonies, whether French (Martinique), British, or Dutch, Jewish merchants frequently DOMINATED." Like, the diamond trade, it is not surprising that we also find that some Jews played a major role in the slave trade.

From childhood , too many Jews and Israeli’s are taught that they are disliked for no rational reason and Israel is insurance against another holocaust. This attitude dehumanizes their opponents(e.g. "goyim fighting goyim" when "goyim" means cattle) and obviates the need for genuine self-criticism. Often the question is not, is something true or false? Right or wrong? But, "Is it good for the Jews?"
Traumatizing people and convincing them that irrational fiends threaten their survival is an effective form of mind control. Such people will throw morality and reason to the wind and, if necessary, become savage, mindless killers themselves(e.g. war criminal Ariel Sharon). They are easily exploited by forces that may not be in the best long term interest of the Jewish people. Remember to support "Jewish Voice for Peace".

Let's start at the beginning, Rebecca. The word "goy" is Hebrew for "nation." It comes right from the Torah, and in that context it refers to the nation of Israel. True, many people use the phrase as a derogatory slur against non-Jews, but in no context does the word mean "cattle." Perhaps consider the following notion: You got that point wrong. Maybe the rest of your outlook is similarly skewed?

Another question: What is the lesson of the Holocaust, if not that Jews are disliked for no rational reason? Or did we bring the gas chambers on ourselves? I hate to remind of this inconvenient fact, but the Nazis DID allow the Jews to leave in the late 1930s. They just couldn't get into any other country – America included. Had there been an Israel at the time, they would have had somewhere to run.

Furthermore, this lesson does not "obviate" the need for self-criticism. One look at the Hebrew press, the state of Israeli universities and statements of many professors, politicians and others give clear proof that Israelis are fully engaged in real, deep self-criticism.

Without comment on Ariel Sharon, your description of Israelis as "savage, mindless killers" seems to be made with little knowledge of the situation on the ground. I would caution against believing the Palestinian propaganda you read (unless you believe that Israeli soldiers pass out poison candy to Arab children, in which I have no interest in continuing this discussion). It certainly doesn't meet the reality I experienced in my days as a combat soldier in the IDF, or the reality I experience daily amongst my neighbours here in what you'd probably call the "occupied" territories.

I would also suggest that you, not I have become the hate monger here. I teach my children to look at the world with open eyes, to treat others as they would wish to be treated, and to demand others to do the same. That doesn't sound like "dehumanization" to me. You, on the other hand, have written my family and neighbours off with a blanket epithet: "savage, mindless killers." Who's the racist here?

As for Jewish Voice for Peace, I would only point out that a) I welcome the influx of opinions with which I disagree (a courtesy I have not been afforded by members of that organisation, both in San Francisco and Israel), and b) I believe that although such folks are well-meaning, at the end of the day they will be left preaching on about "co-existence" while Hamas, Fatah, Iran and Hizbullah kill them and their families, while the good folks of Britain, France and Russia tsk tsk but refuse to lift a hand to help. Remember: Those who fail to ignore the mistakes of history are doomed to repeat them.

From a demographic standpoint, the Arabs will have a majority in Israel within the next 50 years. The modern Israeli(there are, of course, many exceptions, e.g. settlers and Orthodox) is like their counter parts in America and western Europe in their outlook to have fun and etc. They are tired of constant war and conflict and want peace. They are not having large number of childrens any more than the Europeans. The Russian immigrants have really brought a positive modernizing change to Israeli society. Also, there are hundreds of thousands of Russian Jewish immigrants who know Y'shua Messiah, this brings diversity to Israel as well.

"Traumatizing people and convincing them that irrational fiends threaten their survival is an effective form of mind control."
Or just stating the facts:
Hassan Nasrallah, the current Secretary General of Hezbollah, proxy of Iran, on what he thinks about Jews: "If we searched the entire world for a person more cowardly, despicable, weak and feeble in psyche, mind, ideology and religion, we would not find anyone like the Jew." Iranian President Ahmadinejad declares Israel a "disgraceful stain [on] the Islamic world" that must be "wiped off the map".