Do you believe in Zionism?

[Arduti]

1.) Most Israelis are not religious, or even believers. Approximately 65% of Israelis are Mizrahis and not of the Chassidic/Haredi persuasion. Their basis for being in Israel is simply one of proximity and territory, one of force.

2.) The Chassidim/Haredim who live on yeshivot and devote their lives to Torah study are poor and dependent on the secular state, yet they refuse to serve in the Israeli military, nor do they have the ability to work and contribute to Israel's economy because they do not have job skills or a modern education. The only thing they actually control is Aliyah: not tourism, not domestic policy, not international policy, barely anything in the Knesset. Their basis for being in Israel is simply religious and many do not believe Israel in its current state is the one that is prophesied in the Tanakh, and some have gone as far as forming anti-Israel groups like Neturei Karta.

3.) Prior to the creation of the modern state of Israel, before Israel created its own borders, the British enforced borders around Palestine, killing Jews, to protect their new mandate. Prior to this, Jews cooperated with Islamic Ottoman rule, and the Zionist banners of the First Aliyah and Second Aliyah had Islamic crescents on them. (If you don’t believe me, watch the PBS documentary 1913: Seeds of Conflict.) This did not bother Jews, there was no lack of cooperation with Ottoman Islamic rule of Palestine. The British Christians, as well as the Palestinian Christians (later with the support of Palestinian Muslims) were responsible for the pan-Arab, anti-Islamic-Ottoman propaganda. I guess Islam didn't hate Jews enough to satisfy Christians and Arabs. Jews refused to accept outsiders like the British to come in and divide Jews and Arabs, just like they divided Afghanistan and Pakistan, and others. The tragedy is, once Palestinians realized they liked bigotry politics more than Islamic rule, there was no stopping their shift in focus and Jews forcefully created a state to protect themselves. But ultimately, I still blame race politics propagated by self-serving Christians (insiders and outsiders) for the poor relations between Jews and Muslims.

[Loki]

But ultimately, I still blame race politics propagated by self-serving Christians (insiders and outsiders) for the poor relations between Jews and Muslims.

Are you serious? Christians are to blame that Jews and Muslims don't get along?

[Arduti]

Are you serious? Christians are to blame that Jews and Muslims don't get along?

Yes. The British (who were religious Christians during that era) helped Palestinian Christian media outlets (two newspapers in Jerusalem and one newspaper in Bethlehem) with anti-Ottoman (anti-Islamic-rule) propaganda, encouraging the angle of pan-Arabism instead. Jews cooperating with Islamic rule was just too much for Christians and Arabs to comprehend or accept, so they bypassed Islam, while also feigning piety.

[Odin]

Nope.

[Smeagol]

No. I hate the fact that Israel has any influence on American politics. They need us but we sure as hell don't need them.

[sean]

No.

Zionism is Jewish ethno-nationalism, if it is good for Jews or done by Jews then they consider it good, that kind of thing should be kept as a separate belief outside of a Eurocentric worldview, since Jews themselves are extremely ethnocentric and nepotistic, and use their wealth and power to promote Zionism/Israel.

Jews by nature play whatever works best for the Jew.