Davis Singer,

"Do you support the right of the Jewish people to have their own State in their ancient and biblical homeland as affirmed by the above decisions? A one word response - "Yes" or "No" will suffice." It's rather an insult to assume that I'd take the bait, or are you desperate?

A one word answer to the above might be sufficient for a propagandist, however there are ethical issues that require explanation.

You mention Christian support for Zionism, that includes some fundamental American Christian looneys, who as result of their religious mania imagine that, by supporting the Zionist cause, they're hastening the arrival of their Messiah and the conversion of the Jews. That's cynicism worthy of Machiavelli himself.

In my opinion, whatever the legal issues involved in its creation, Israel is the result a colonial enterprise that should never have been undertaken, however, that's also true of Australia, NZ and all the states of the Americas. So, "what's done is done" and Israel exists as as a Jewish state. My answer to the question "Does Israel have right to exist?", might surprise you, it's in fact "yes", Israel's treatment of the surviving Palestinians is another matter entirely.

"I don't expect everyone to love Jews. You have an entitlement to hate Jews if you wish.

Don't stand on your high horse and pretend not to be what you are.."

You have resorted to ad hominem attacks, which is not surprising, it's characteristic of some members of "ethnic/religious minorities", who have assumed that they have a licence to insult others, particularly the majority Anglo Celtic community.
It's also a conceit to imagine (or claim) that all criticism of Israel is motivated by anti-Semitism-- of course it's a often a ploy and obviously it's been effective, but increasingly less so, and probably, in the long term, counter-productive. The previous effectiveness of accusations of "anti-Semitism" is most likely the inspiration for the invention of "Islamophobia."

Stop using insults instead of logical arguments.

Dear Propete,

You wrote;

“lying, deceit, greed and murder that is the modus opperandi of Palistinian governance.”

There was an interesting report that came out last month about the state of corruption in Israel.
http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Israel-among-most-corrupt-of-OECD-countries-319315

“over 80 percent of Israelis believe that personal contacts are important or very important for getting things done in the public sector – with only Lebanon, Ukraine and Russia reporting equally high results.”

“Similarly, Israel ranked second to only Greece among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nations on the perception that government is run by a few big interests, described by Transparency International as a sign of “deep-rooted failures of governance.”

“Seventy-three percent of Israelis identified their government as captured by special interests, as compared to 62% of Mexicans, 49% of Turks and 5% of Norwegians.”

But this one was probably the most interesting;
“12% of Israelis report having paid bribes in the last year, in the dubious company of such countries as Argentina, the Philippines and Rwanda, and outranking most comparably wealthy countries. The exact same percentage of Palestinians report having resorted to bribery in the last 12 months.”

And finally, surprisingly to me, “Israel’s religious bodies, whose rating of 4.1 ties Sudan for the highest perception of corruption worldwide.”

Palestinian and Israeli governments? Peas in a pod it seems.

#To Mac

You state:

"In my opinion, whatever the legal issues involved in its creation, Israel is the result a colonial enterprise that should never have been undertaken, however, that's also true of Australia, NZ and all the states of the Americas. So, "what's done is done" and Israel exists as as a Jewish state. My answer to the question "Does Israel have right to exist?", might surprise you, it's in fact "yes", "

To me it seems this response is not supportive of Zionism - the political movement of the Jewish people to reconstitute the Jewish National Home in its ancient and historic homeland.

So I will ask you to answer the following question:

Do you believe that Israel has the right to continue to exist as the Jewish national home?

You have also stated:

"Zionism is a racist ideology"

Is this the statement of a Jew-lover or a Jew hater?

David Singer,

"Is this the statement of a Jew-lover or a Jew hater?"

Actually it's a statement about an ideology.

I've made my position clear and you have obviously no other resort than ad hominem attacks. If you ever develop a defence of Zionism that isn't based on ethno-religious chauvinism and anti-Arab racism I'd be very interested to read it, although I think that it would be in the nature of a Zen exercise.

Salaam

In total contrast to the guy who merely collects brownie points with the Hasbara lie factory (see http://www.hasbara.com/), Mac and others have put forward actual matters of principle. I mention Mac because I would like to pursue further some of these matters which he has raised.

1. Does Israel have a right to exist? I would say no. That's for the same reason that I am thankful that Boer South Africa and Nazi Germany and the former British colonies no longer exist.

2. If not Israel, why Australia (and the rest of the nations that grew from an armed invasion)?

Settlement of Australia was a criminal enterprise and its early European inhabitants could have justly been sent packing to their homeland. But those criminal settlers are long dead and Australia now contains only people born here (who are therefore here by birthright) or are here by consent of those born here.

The criminals (and by that I don't mean the convicts) have left behind a vile streak in our national culture but none of the criminals themselves. The original squattocracy, the Redcoats, the opportunists - they are dead bones even though their ideological memes still lurk (cf. racism towards Aborigines, cf. unfolding Obeid drama, cf. glorying in military service when the military adventures themselves have not been honourable, cf. obsequiousness passed on from the Thief of Normandy via Britain, cf. land vandals and their tame pollies). Memes are not people.

3. Racism. Any singling out of people for advantage or disadvantage on grounds of ancestry is racism. Like antisemitism, Zionist racism will exist as a meme but not a legal structure long after Israel has gone. There are about two million settlers in Israel, there under a racist “Law of ‘Return’”. These should be sent home. The exiles have a birthright and so do Jews born in Palestine who are no more responsible for criminal antecedents than we are. A decent one state for Palestine would include all those individuals as equals.

Land vandals and their tame pollies are people, not memes. The corresponding meme is assumed right to vandalise land. Passed on from the squattocracy.

That correction of my bad grammar is my Post No. 4, the last shot in my locker for this thread.