This is rather amusing, or at least it would be if it weren't so tragic. Singer is totally oblivious to yet another argument in favour of Winston Churchill's sayings.

That argument is that in Israel, democracy has failed disastrously also, in that it has produced governments which find it acceptable to occupy neighbouring territories, and to continue to exclude refugees from the places where they lived until 1947-8.

As for Singer himself, I'm curious to know whether he is ignorant of these facts, or just pretending to be.

Psst! Brother keep your head down !

We can't criticise , we have a PM who Blatantly Lied at the Ballot Box .

Technically we don't have a democracy.

So best we lie low ashamed and insecure .

jeremy, "acceptable to occupy neighbouring territories" and continue to "exclude refugees from the places where they lived until 1947-8"

Since we are "ignorant of these facts", could you please reveiw these "facts"? You can start with the League of Nations Article VIII then move forward.

Looking forward to more facts,

Thanks.

One of the preconditions put to Hamas is to accept the State of Israel.

Has Israel declared the borders of its State?

Is it possible to recognise a State when we don't know where it begins and where it ends? Are we talking about the 1948 borders, or some borders before 1967, or maybe the borders defined by the apartheid wall - sorry, the security fence.

This mealy-mouthed double-talk will perhaps diminish when the awakening Arab world starts bargaining with Israel on a more equal footing, and when Israel decides that it makes more sense to negotiate with its neighbours rather than kill them.

# jeremy

You state: "in Israel, democracy has failed disastrously"

My response: 18 elections in 63 years is pretty impressive. If the voters get it wrong they have the chance to change their elected Government at least once every four years. I would imagine they would know what is best for them than relying on what you or anyone else tell them they should do. Certainly your opinion is important but ultimately those living in Israel have to make the final decision.
They like any other people can make wrong decisions. No one is perfect.

What would you suggest to replace Israel's democratic system? The Iranian model, the Arab-style dictatorial and dynastic regimes that are toppling like packs of cards?

#Garum Masala

At least we have the chance to get rid of a lying Government in four years or perhaps earlier.

If we make the same mistake and elect them again we can blame no-one but ourselves and have to bear the consequences of our decision.

Our democracy is strong and vibrant. It has thrown up a minority government this time round. We all have to consider what we do next time around.

# Stan1

You ask: "Has Israel declared the borders of its State?"

My response: The answer is "yes" - with Egypt and Jordan under the Israel-Egypt peace treaty and the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty.

In the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty it is expressed as:

"The permanent boundary between Egypt and Israel in the recognized international boundary between Egypt and the former mandated territory of Palestine, as shown on the map at Annex II, without prejudice to the issue of the status of the Gaza Strip."

In the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty it is expressed as:

"1. The international boundary between Israel and Jordan is delimited with reference to the boundary definition under the Mandate as is shown in Annex I (a), on the mapping materials attached thereto and co-ordinates specified therein.

2. The boundary, as set out in Annex I (a), is the permanent, secure and recognised international boundary between Israel and Jordan, without prejudice to the status of any territories that came under Israeli military government control in 1967."

The status of the West Bank and Gaza has been the subject of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority for the last 17 years. Both make claims to these disputed territories which have been unable to be resolved so far and on current indications will not be resolved between them.

A new Arab negotiating partner/s with Israel - Jordan and/or Egypt - seems the only way to resolve the final status of the West Bank and Gaza. At present no one has internationally legally recognized sovereignty over these two areas.