A good attempt.

To add my two pennyworth to this may I make three points.
If the Arabs have hated the West and their propaganda has been so directed consider how the west views Israel in its media. These have been analysed by Philo and Berry in Bad News From Israel an academic study which cannot be refuted merely by saying the Glasgow University media researchers are biased, much as Juan Cole is targeted over Iraq. UN compliance, a big point when we wished Saddam gone is poor. American protection at the UN large. Israel has not signed the NPT has WMD’s, as with Saddam supplied by the West, no worries! They are a democracy, one with a two calss system.

Secondly Zionist aspirations for a homeland are pre Balfour. The land was assumed, as was Australia, to be empty or perhaps inhabited by a few savages, again like Australia.

Thirdly reading the diary of Israeli second prime minister Moshe Sharett 1954-55 shows that being the put upon party in the Arab Israeli dispute was a propaganda ploy added when necessary like German invasion of Poland by provocation and deception Camp David were grounded in perceived threatsto Israeli security.

Fourthly right at the start the West, America in particular threw their weight behind Israel which would not have survived otherwise, maybe part of the dispute with Russia but only part the support had political ramifications at home and still does.

May I make one more point finding I have 100 words left?

The consequences of mistreatment are major and have a long history an idea considered by Johnson in “Blowback”. Palestinians do remember a psychological hurdle to resolution including reparation for lost land and its potential production as well as wealth represented by home

To bust optimism right definitions might be used to: both the Jews and non-Jews of Palestine are PALESTINIANS.

Therefore, segregating the Arabs of Palestine from the Jews is not so new idea at all.

Recent world provides a significant amount of info on similar attempts of segregation and appartheid in the Balkans, Sudan, Rwanda and modern multicultural Australia definitely.

Dear Chad
we can argue Ibn Ishaq another time... quite busy right now.
I'll just make one point though, his work is used as a basis for some Islamic law no ? (In Sunni tradition) He is also the earliest work.
There are plenty more. If you say he contradictst he Quran..I ask "Where" ? (2 simple examples will suffice)

I have a theory about the Palestinian problem and lets see if you confirm it :)

1/ If the Palestinians were offered Land.. of equal value and productivity as that which they lost, but not in Israel, (but perhaps nearby) Lets say Jordan for example only.

2/ They were not offered any concession on Jerusalem, which will from that point on be forever regarded as Jewish/Israeli land and posession....

How would the Palestinians react and why ?

Philip Mendes makes many assertions.

1. He asserts anti-zionism is a preserve of the left. I'm not a leftie and I oppose Israel's zionist expansion. Some Jewish people also express opposition to such policy.

2. He eronoeusly lays the blame for the failure of the Camp David 2000 and Taba summit at the feet of the Palestinians. He ignores Arafat's rejection of some of the Israeli proposals and that Israel's final proposal was never presented because Barak lost the election and his final proposal never had the opportunity to be presented.

3. He disingenously insuinates the Camp David 2000 and Taba summits drew boundaries at 'roughly the pre-1967 Green Line borders'. They were not, not in any Israeli proposal or intended proposals ... then or since.

4. He ignores the peace proposal from the Arab League when he says 'the Palestinians seemed unable to separate their justifiable demand for a state from their ideological demand for the return of 1948 refugees to the Jewish state' and 'Palestinian demands for a right of return'. He then lists this as a Palestinian barrier to peace. One they seemingly have overcome.

5. He talks only of
i. 'roughly the pre-1967 Green Line borders',
ii. 'proposals ... went far closer to meeting minimum Palestinian aspirations for a contiguous and sovereign state.'
iii. 'proposals went a long way towards defining the parameters of a reasonable two-state solution.'
He never ever ackniowledges all the occupied territories need to be returned.

6. He asserts 'a Palestinian state may be a prerequisite for peace'. He ignores the fact it is seen as essential in all Palestinian claims and UN resolutions.

7. Finally he ignores the fact the Palestinians democratically elected Hamas and it's election manifesto omitted the demand for the destruction of Israel.

8. Finally he throws in the furphy about Islamic influence of Palestine ... yet ignores the influence of the fundamentalist religion of most Israelis.

There are others, but I think you'll get the drift of the intent of the article.

This article and it's unsupported assertions require much more in-depth work.

Chad

What about the 700,000 or so Jews who escaped from ill treatment in Arab lands? Many of these ancient Jewish communities predated Islam and the Arab invasions by hundreds of years. (eg Egypt). Have they no rights?

My statement about the Middle Eastern origins of almost half the Jewish population of Israel is always overlooked or denied by the Israel haters because it damages their preconceptions. It also focuses on Islamic Arab nationalism.

eet

What laws has Israel implemented openly discriminating against Arab Israelis based on race and religion? A nice attack but how is it true?

You make comparisons with Germany. I have to tell you that Sir John Monash, an Australian was a Zionist but was the most significant of all generals in the battle against Germany. Jewish soldiers gave their lives in the defence of Australia in both wars. The Jews in Israel supported the allies during the war often with their lives. How dare you suggest that Israelis are not like us.

And to all of you.

When did a pair of Jewish evangelists last knock on your door trying to convert you or a Rabbi last make a statement in a foreign language criticising the behaviour or dress of other Australians?

Are you aware that the mobile phone and the Pentium chip owe mush of their development to Israelis?

And if you want to adopt the Jewish faith discuss it with a friendly Rabbi. You can but you would be expected to make an effort there are no instant conversions. DNA analysis shows clearly that it is by no means an exclusive club. The point is that Judaism teaches that all good people can receive divine blessing regardless of your faith.

Many of you are judging Judaism from too many Hollywood films.

keith

You make a lot of good points but one I do not understand.

"Finally he throws in the furphy about Islamic influence of Palestine ... yet ignores the influence of the fundamentalist religion of most Israelis."

Most Israelis are not religious. There are a few conservatives and the Israeli propòrtional representation system lets minorities have the balance of power, but as I say these are minorities. A major irritation yes but a majority, no way.

Anyone in Israel is entirely free in law to change their religion to anything they want as often as they want or to have no religion at all. This applies equaly to Jews, Muslims, Christians, Seventh Day Adventists exactly as in Australia.

What the Israelis do want is a state where the majority are of Jewish thinking in the same way as in Australia the majority are of Christian thinking. This gives them some security for their ways. Just like us they do not want control by fundamentalists of any kind.

Like Australia, Thailand, Philipines and Europe they do not want Islam to dominate, and gven the 20th century track record of many governments which claim (no doubt falsely) to be Islamic would you blame them?