[Peace-discuss] Review of Last Night's Program in anti-Semitism

[Stuart Levy]

On Thu, Jan 11, 2007 at 01:45:10PM -0600, Karen Medina wrote:
> Rereading the definition of a "Jewish state" might change Stuart's understanding of the statements.
> 
> Jewish state = "a state where only Jews live"

Wait -- is that right?  (Or is it a typo?)  The
newdemocracyworld.org web page does say specifically that Israel is
not a state where only Jews live.  Many Jews live there,
it's seen as a refuge for Jews -- and it's for that latter reason
that I'd expect it deserves to be called a Jewish state -- but
non-Jews also live there, of course.

> where "a set of laws which confer rights and benefits on Jews but not on others."
> 
> "Where does this leave Arabs, who are currently 20% of the population inside
> Israel (not counting the Gaza Strip and the West Bank)? The Declaration makes
> a clear distinction between Jews, who are the sovereign authority in Israel,
> and the Arab inhabitants who are not."

But if discrimination in how Israel's laws treat its own citizens is the
issue, why does the reviewer talk about it being wrong for the state
itself to exist?

With respect to South Africa, say, I don't remember people urging
that there shouldn't be a state where South Africa is.  But lots of us
did urge for them to change their laws and their government.