Given the Falasha point, and the fact of many differences in Ashkenzai and Sephardim, it doesn't seem right to characterize Israeli chauvinism as 'racial.' It's certainly nasty enough. It is quite true that race can be socially constructed, but in Israel to construct a race out of Jews would seem to be a daunting task. Of course, you can be racist re: some other group without being a race unto yourself.
This sub-thread started in reference to the democratic secular state (DSS) idea, which is the way the Palestinians used to front themselves. But to have such a state one must have an absence of sharp inter-group animosity, and as Brad pointed out there is a manifest lack of evidence of this on Palestinian side, not to mention the Jewish side.
The unrealism of the DSS position, notwithstanding its utter reasonableness in the abstract, rules it out as a short- or medium-term practical solution.
I still think the Palestinians were never stronger politically than when they were mobilized on a non- or quasi-non-violent basis. It looks more and more like they are now the ones who are going to be driven into the sea.
mbs
-----Original Message----- From: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com [mailto:owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com]On Behalf Of C. G. Estabrook Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2001 4:44 PM To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com Subject: RE: "Zionism"
That's handled by having essentially no civil marriage in Israel. (I'm told that Cyprus is the preferred spot for marriages Israel doesn't permit.) There are a lot of round-about systems for maintaining the racialist nature of the state -- e.g., privileges made available to veterans, who include almost all Israelis and very few others. --CGE
On Wed, 18 Jul 2001, Max Sawicky wrote:
> Civil marriage between Jew and non-Jew is "not allowed" in Israel?
>
> Can a Falasha Ethiopian refugee marry an Askenazi? And if so, is this
> not racial inter-marriage?
>
> mbs
>
>
>
> Of course there are preferences for religious groups (e.g., yeshiva
> students) but much more important are the privileges for one racial
> group, the majority of whom are not religious. As the late Israel
> Shahak was wont to point out, Israel within the Green Line is a racist
> state, with laws similar to those of apartheid South Africa: e.g.,
> racial identity cards must be carried, no intermarriage is allowed
> with the dominant racial group, and none but members of that group can
> own land in more than 93% of the national territory. --CGE
>
>
> On Wed, 18 Jul 2001, Michael Perelman wrote:
>
> > The first step would be to make it a secular state with no preferences
for
> > religious groups.