A New York Times editorial on the “elusive dream of a Palestinian state,” says that everyone with any sense wants that outcome, and assigns one-state talk chiefly to Israeli rightwingers, ignoring the leftwing push for one democratic state. David Remnick in the New Yorker was much more honest about this matter; the Times doesn’t even cite Ali Abunimah, or Virginia Tilley, or Meron Benvenisti.
With the failure of peace talks, opines the Times, “it is little surprise that some are seeking alternatives….”
[S]ome Palestinians are also tempted by a one-state solution, but talk of full rights draws skepticism. Many Palestinians who live in Israel and are citizens already feel they are discriminated against and fear this will worsen if Israel adopts a new law under consideration emphasizing the country’s Jewishness over democracy. There are risks in annexation and a one-state solution for Israelis, too. Many Israelis worry that will lead to a Palestinian majority, thus endangering the country’s democratic ideals and Jewish character.
Palestinians feel themselves to be discriminated against? According to Adalah, there are 50 laws that discriminate between Jews and Palestinians, Shira Robinson just published a scholarly book on this question, and any fool knows that I can move to Israel tomorrow because I’m Jewish while a Palestinian can’t even bring a spouse into the country from the West Bank.
And: “a Palestinian majority” would not just endanger Israel’s Jewish character, but its “democratic ideals?” Isn’t that like saying democracy would endanger a democracy? Not when you’re talking about Arabs! Writes Donald Johnson: “Imagine them saying that about any other ethnic group in the world. Interpreted charitably, they might be saying that a one state solution might lead to ethnic strife between extremists on one or both sides, or something like that, but if so, they should spell it out. Their brains just shut down when writing on this subject.”
The racism against Palestinians in the mainstream press is so casual it’s shocking. People would be picketed if they wrote this about an American ethnic group.
nytimes=racism.
“NY Times says a Palestinian majority would ‘endanger Israel’s democratic ideals”. WHY?
Because Palestinians (and Arabs) are by their nature undemocratic and have no good ideals?
That’s the antithesis of democracy. What nytimes and zionists are saying, Palestinians are a threat to zionism. You’re damn right we are!
We have nothing against Jews. So when nytimes says Palestinians are a danger to the zionist’s regime “Jewish character”, that’s because nytimes and zionists know that they can’t have “democratic AND jewish”. It just does not work.
so nytimes is showing its racist and religious biases under the guise of democracy and the long-held beliefs of the zionists that Arabs and Palestinians are animals and beasts, can never be democratic.
Give me a break nytimes, peddler of racism and religious-ethno centric biases…
I earlier posted a question about that editorial in an older thread. Since it is directly relevant here, I’ll take the liberty of asking the question again, where it may attract an answer from someone who understands better than I do. Even taking the editorial on its own terms, the logic of the last paragraph escapes me. That’s where they say it is wise to delay action until after Israel’s elections. My confusion about their logic may stem from my ignorance of the nuances of Israeli politics. Or it may simply be that there isn’t much logic there, beyond the desire for delay and more delay and always ever-more delay, while “facts on the ground” continue to change. Is there some party in Israel that wants a just solution and that has a chance of winning, if only we wait until after the election? I have not read of such. Can someone here who understands such matters explain?
”Many Israelis worry that will lead to a Palestinian majority, thus endangering the country’s democratic ideals and Jewish character. ”
Oh, cry me a river! If the thought of their little lalaland being swarmed by the Arab masses keeps Yossi and Ayalet up at night, why didn’t they push for a two state solution when – maybe – there was a chance? None of these ‘liberal left-wing Israelis’ have ever lifted a finger to prevent the spread of the ‘settlements’ which have rendered any 2 state solution impossible, yet now they are fretting about how their Jewish Disneyland might have its ethnic purity sullied?
And yes, the casual racism is indeed stunning. Imagine if anyone in the US, or Britain, or France were to say that theirs is a Christian state, and x number of Jews would endanger its democratic ideals and Christian character? There would be uproar, and rightly so. But for Jewish Israelis to openly speak of the ‘demographic threat’ posed by granting equal rights to non-Jews, that’s perfectly reasonable.
Maintaining a Jewish majority is not about deomcracy, peace or freedom. The only reason Israel needs a Jewish majority is to keep the Ashkenazi elite in power.
That is all this is about.
“…and any fool knows that I can move to Israel tomorrow because I’m Jewish …”
I’m not so sure. I can imagine Israel’s stalwart airport monitors Finkelsteining you, Phil.
Keep yer US passport and bring a toothbrush – I hear amenities in those airport holding cells are not up to snuff.