[lbo-talk] Re:selective realism

Wojtek Sokolowski sokol at jhu.edu
Tue Dec 6 06:09:33 PST 2005


Frank Scott:


> but advocating a one state solution and an end to the racial supremacist
> jewish israel is...un-realistic?

I am not an apologist for Israeli policies, but let's keep things in the proper perspective - calling Israel "the racial supremacist jewish" is a hyperbole, to say the least. In fact, the rules governing Israeli citizenship are pretty much similar to those of the US http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2001/8/Acquisition%20of%20Isr aeli%20Nationality

which means that anyone who resides in the state can acquire citizenship via naturalization. Even the Law of Return has its equivalents in other countries' legislation on this matter, cf. Ireland or Germany that allows citizenship by blood lineage even for someone who have never set his foot in the country before.

Nor are non-citizen residents in Israel treated much different than resident aliens in the US or Europe, if we control for the fact that the country faces an armed insurgency. If the US faced similar circumstances, we would almost certainly have a fascist government and concentration camps for "aliens" - we are already almost there after one measly attack. There is more meaningful political opposition in Israel that lives under a state of siege than in the US that claims to have created the highest level of prosperity and democracy known to mankind.

Again, let's not throw out the baby with bath waters and do not allow rightful denunciations of Israeli right wingers to dismiss the positive aspect of the Israeli state.

Wojtek



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