Comments on: Hitchens on Shahak, Chimpsky on Chomsky

By: Jack Ross

Jack Ross — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

I think I did see that before, I knew that Hitchens was unsparing to the Jews unlike the second-fiddle atheists like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins. Still, I despise Hitchens, and the best take down of all these folks for their warmongering and anti-Arab racism was by Michael Lerner a year or so back.

By: br

br — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

Both Chomsky and Shahak have been right about the situation all along, going back at least 40 years each.

Phil, you're a latecomer to the scene but welcome nonetheless. It looks like the Zionist ideology is losing it's hold over Jewish people.

By: Richard Witty

Richard Witty — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

Phil,
The "insights" that you inferred from Shahak are the 'Jews are not a people', that as 'not a people, the insistence on dominance is apartheid'.

In your quote, the population numbers are grossly innaccurate. In the land from the river to the sea, the population now is approximately 51% Jewish, not 70% Palestinian five years ago.

Some site that there is no reliable census data on Palestinians, and that they might comprise a majority currently.

But, NOT 70%.

Its NOT a necessary variable to conclude that a fair two-state solution is necessary.

A fair two-state solution is different than a likud one-state, or a Palestinian nationalist one-state, or a sharia one-state, or even a civilist one-state.

Contention makes journalistic career. Calm and mutual decency makes good real life.

By: higginslads

higginslads — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

Hitchens has been quoted elsewhere as saying that Walt and Mearsheimer's book is "a little bit fishy" (implying anti-Jewish sentiments), and Chomksy doesn't believe there is any definitive Israel Lobby. Didn't Hitchens recently discover some Jewish blood in his family lineage?

Richard Witty and all other two-state supporters: Given the facts on the ground, how on earth can you honestly envision a Palestinian state? It would be nothing more than a bantustan subject to Israeli control. One democratic state is the only realistic, just solution.

By: Richard Mitty

Richard Mitty — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

"... a bantustan subject to Israeli control."

But that's the best part. Jewish control is a GOOD. Tikum Olam.

By: Jack Ross

Jack Ross — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

Population is at a rough Israeli-Palestinian parity as it has been for years now, with an edge to the Palestinians. But a critical fact to remember is that as many as a million of the Israelis are exiles living abroad, so the 5/6 (million) ratio of Israelis to Palestinians is really more like 4/6.

By: Richard Witty

Richard Witty — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

The land is majority Israeli citizens.

Its a parity of Jews to non-Jews. I heard that there are slightly more Jews than non-Jews there.

Non-Jews include, Palestinian Muslims, Palestinian Christians, Bahais, Druze, European Christians, etc.

What apples to apples are you referring to Jack?

By: Richard Witty

Richard Witty — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

In Israel, 79+% of residents are Jewish.

Inside the greenline less than 10% are Jewish.

By: LeaNder

LeaNder — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

(I'm lousy with comments; I hide under my desk, also I'm unpaid).

No need, Phil. Weis doesn't seem to be fit to hold a candle to you. So why worry?

But thanks that was interesting.

By: higginslads

higginslads — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

No answer to the question of how a Palestinian "state" would be anything other than a bantustan controlled by Israel. I thought as much…