Written like a true Zionist.There is nothing secular about the 1947 state of Israel and increasingly, very little that is democratic. The article didn't mention the Arabs who were forced to flee in the face of armed violence. nor does it mention the rights of those people expelled to return to this land of milk and honey.
Through the modern medium of Television, the world can now see with their own eyes, the brutality of this pariah state that holds no respect for human life , can shoot children who come too close to the wall they have created, can kill Arab farmers tending their farms, defy United Nations resolutions calling for a cessation to settlement expansion and by virtue of their infiltration into the Congress of the United States, determine foreign policy of the U.S.to ensure there will be no peaceful settlement or viable Palestinian State.
Hopefully, the Jewish people world wide will reject Zionism in favour of a truly Secular State that is not exclusively Jewish, where all faiths will live in harmony

Whilst I generally agree with the writer's comment despite my concerns regarding the good will of Israel to anyone but themselves, does the writer imply that it now OK for countries to require new citizens to swear loyalty to, for example, "Australia, an Anglo-Saxon, Church of England, democratic state"?

"In actual fact, Israel enshrines full legal and human rights to all of its citizens in its Declaration of Independence, the document on which Israel was founded as a Jewish state and the basis of Israeli constitutional law."

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace%20Process/Guide%20to%20the%20Peace%20Process/Declaration%20of%20Establishment%20of%20State%20of%20Israel

Israel doesn't have a constitution, 62 years after its 'Declaration of Establishment' promised one would be "be adopted by the Elected Constituent Assembly not later than the 1st October 1948."

Neither are equal rights for all citizens enshrined in existing Israeli law. Israel is an apartheid entity, where Palestinian Israelis are second class citizens. The new 'loyalty oath' is discriminatory and abhorrent. Israel can be jewish or democratic, but not both.

Neither are the holy places of all religions protected as the Declaration promised. Only jewish holy places are protected by Israeli law.

Nor does Israel provide real freedom of religion - only marriages conducted by orthodox jewish rabbis are recognised as legal. There is no provision for interfaith marriages, same-sex marriages or civil marriage in Israel.

Nor is education provided on a basis of equality - non-jewish children are discriminated against, with less than 60% of state funding delivered to their needs in comparison to funding of education of jewish children.

http://mazinx.wordpress.com/discrimination-against-palestinian-arab-children-in-israels-schools/

Housing is another area where discrimination against non-jews is rampant.

'An individual can no longer purchase land, build a home or even rent an apartment in small communities in which the absorption committee opposes their presence. According to Adalah - the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, the law will "protect" 68.3 percent of all communities in Israel from being "stained."'

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/south-africa-is-already-here-1.322052

Read about 10 other discriminatory laws enacted by the Israeli entity.

http://www.adalah.org/eng/10.php

Equal rights for all citizens are non-negotiable for civilised democracies. It's way past time Israel started behaving like a civilised democracy.

As much as I condemn all that has taken place in Israel and continues to take place I still advocate the pledge of loyalty with severe penalties if the act is broached. The sooner this act is passed in all parliaments in Europe, the USA and Australia the safer we all will be. Any breaches will incur immediate expulsion.
socratease

I still don't understand what the term 'Jewish State' means.If someone proposed an oath of loyalty to Australia as an 'Anglo-Celtic' or 'Christian' state,there were be outrage and (justifiably) accusations of 'racism' and religious bigotry.
Many of those democracies listed by the author do indeed discriminate against ethnic and religious minorities, Turkey is the most notorious example,ask the Armenians. The Roma are persecuted in many areas of Europe. Of course the Japanese don't have many ethnic or religious conflict because they effectively restrict immigration to ethnic Japanese.

"While the Palestinians tend to argue that all of Palestine belongs to them and Jews are foreign invaders", well they are, although it's far to late for most Palestinians to recover their lost patrimony.
As usual there's the special pleading- Jews have a unique historical connection with the area of Biblical Israel, no they don't. All history is a record of migrations and invasions, we all have a billion ancestors.

The oath of loyalty seems like some kind of fall-back position,has someone seen the writing on the wall?

Pull the other one Daniel.

David

What about all the illegal settlement building?

Surely if Isreal wishes to claim any legitimacy as a state, it will begin by ceding all the territory that it has conquered since 1947.

I have a jewish friend who is opposed to the excesses of Isreal, and having signed a petition that she saw, somehow ended up on a list. I am not sure what the exact name was, I think it was Self-Hating Isrealites and Jews, the acronym therefore being S-H-I-T. Zionism feeds that kind of aggressive stupidity.

The idea of a 'promised land', given by God, should have no place in modern politics, and the author is particularly simplistic if he believes that the concept has not played, and does not continue to play a big role in Isreal's belief in itself and in the way it forms it's policies. This is not secular.

Get your feet back on the ground Dan . Who do you think you are talking to ? We are not mummy or auny Maisy .
You are trying to sell us a truck-load of dead babies .
You are insulting us , pal .

@ mac

"Jewish" State. (you do undersand English don't you mac?) means...predominantly 'ETHNIC' Jews or Converts. How hard is that?

What about an Australian 'Loyalty Oath' ?

Great idea.

-'Who'...would be outraged?
-'What' ...would they be outraged about?

Australian could easily declare it self 'a Christian' state in the sense that no other religion would be allowed to (for example) hold prayers in Parliament, or open Council meetings. The issue is not 'Christianity' but WHICH denomination? That is the issue addressed by the constitution section 116, and as long as our 'trappings' don't reflect just one denomination, but are couched in the broadest terminology and practice, no reason why we could not do it.

The 'bigotry' of which you speak has historically been the 'Catholic/Protestant' divide. No problem, both sides use the same Lord's prayer :)

Not that doing any of this will make much difference to the purity of the true Church (The Body of Christ within all the denominations) and if anything would probably have a negative 'self satisfied' impact.

Israel has the support of 2000 yrs of Salvation history on it's side.
From the founding with Abraham to the time of Christ.

@Al,

We're not discussing the possibilties of any society defining itself as an 'ethno-religious' state,but whether or not such a declaration is compatible with liberal secular democracy,it isn't. My argument is that Jews can't use special pleading to impose a practice that would not be tolerated in other liberal democracies.

Your appeal to Judeo-Christian religious traditions as support for your argument is meaningless to an infidel like me.

The problem is that the Christian religions also support the BS in the Old Testament that Israel is the land that God has promised to the Jewish people. Just look at who wrote all that BS. It wouldn't have been a Jew by any chance would it.
Bah, Humbug.

David

@Fringe:

The UK doesn't have a single constitutional document either, that doesn't mean that it has no constitution. Every state needs some kind of constitutional law and if it's not a single document like ours, it's normally a series of legislation that builds on itself, as in the UK and apparently Israel.

And the other points you listed don't seem to contradict the OP anyway. As far as I can see, it acknowledges that there is discrimination, even if this is a little downplayed. That doesn't mean that Israel can't be a Jewish state.

Also, I can't see there being much fuss if new Irish citizens had to pledge allegiance to the "democratic Irish-Catholic state" or something.

The difference here is that they are not new citizens, they are people who the Jewish nation are trying to force off their own land.

David

Dear Mac :)

You said:

a) whether or not such a declaration is compatible with liberal secular democracy

b) Your appeal to Judeo-Christian religious traditions as support for your argument is meaningless to an infidel like me.

Valid points mate... but here's the thing.

@ a) "liberal democracy" is one of a number of political viewpoints.

@ b) You are not an Israeli :) and they probably care as much about your opinion as you do about mine.

But on the issue of 'religious traditions'... a minor correction.

-In Israel's case it is not the Judao-'Christian' tradition but the Jewish only.

They (Jews) would not try to justify the occupation of the land on Christian principles , because theologically speaking (being a bit pedantic) there is no longer (for the Christian) such a thing as an 'Israelite/Jew' for... (Gal 3:28 28) "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

So the New Testament does not really teach the theological entitlement to the land as the Jewish traditions do. We (Christians)do see some kind of providential hand at work in the restoration of the Nation...and this is suggestive of the last days, but I'm not about to sell up and move to the nearest mountain top in eager anticipation of the Lords return. (He can grab me where I am quite well thanx)

Religious Jews are still living in the Old Testament.. awaiting the Messiah. As such the concept of "The Land" is absolutely central to their mindset. Just keep your eyes open for the restored TEMPLE.. "coming soon" maybe :) If that happens..I strongly recommend an urgent re-think of your infidel status. Though as you would realize there is a standing invitation to come to Christ anytime...but such an event (Temple_Restoration) would/should.. rather focus the mind.

If the Temple IS restored... a series of events will quickly unfold.. and one of them is quite probably an EU/Nato (?)Islamic invasion which will be (wait....)SUCCESSFUL....then... more events leading to Christs return.

No, they are new citizens. That's what the oath is for - anyone becoming a citizen of Israel.

They will have to build a new temple after the Iranians drop a big Abomb on Jerusalem. More power to their elbow.

David

keep up the good work mate, Israel is our only friend in the middle east. While they are strong the muslim people will be kept in check