Comments on: Survey puts Israel and Zionism under scrutiny

By: Kevin Herbert

Kevin Herbert — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:44:22 +0000

Given the fact that 100% of Zionist in Australia (& globally) know exactly what is being done in their name to Palestinians e.g apartheid, racism, murder of civilians, extra judicial killing…..and more than 80% of you in Australia say & do absolutely nothing, is indicative of one thing:

80% of Australian Jewry are moral cowards….pathetic …….spineless

And to think the German people have been roundly accused by international Jewry for many decades of turning a blind eye to the Nazis, when in fact after Hitler dissolved the German Parliament in 1933, virtually no-one save for the armed forces leaders & their henchmen, knew what was being done to minorities.

Worse than the Nazis……pewkworthy….with 1.5 million under blockade in Gaza, and 2 million under military occupation in the West Bank, NAZIsrael is the current grim reality.

By: Margaret Bozik

Margaret Bozik — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:27:16 +0000

There has never been any time in history when 100% of the Jewish community would have described themselves as Zionists and 80% doing so in Australia today is a remarkably high figure especially given the less than glowing media coverage and incredibly complex nature, history and reality of the Middle East today.

From a historical perspective there have always been Jewish detractors of the concept of a Jewish State – from the Yiddish-speaking Eastern European Jewish socialists who sought Jewish autonomy within Eastern Europe to assimilated Western European Jews who sought acceptance as German, British or French citizens. Then there are ultra-Orthodox Jews who believe that only the Messiah should re-establish Jewish rule in Israel.

A significant portion of the 10 per cent of respondents who did not answer the Zionist question may have been ultra Orthodox Jews who while waiting for the Messiah to come are praying to God to keep safe their relatives and friends who are currently living in Israel.

And some respondents who said they were or were not a Zionist may have held identical views but had a completely different understanding of what the word “Zionist” means. Both Lowenstein and representatives of the organised Jewish community agree that there is no clear definition of what a Zionist is.

The survey throws up many fascinating issues about the Australian Jewish community, particularly in regards to the acceptance and participation of those who migrated from the former Soviet Union. But 20% of respondents not specifically identifying as a Zionist is not one of them.

By: Tom McLoughlin

Tom McLoughlin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:51:46 +0000

Not sure of the premise here AL but certainly worth a shake.

Alot of that 20% surely will be non Zionist Jewry diaspora thinking about theocratic systems inevitably leading to aparthied type culture. Highly vexed as South Africa proved.

On the hand alot will be the traditional non religious/cultural identifiers. I’m thinking lapsed Catholic secular types who will say they are Catholic but not churchy in defacto relationships or whatever.

1/5 of them probably don’t believe in the Pope as the representative of Christ on this earth either. Similar to Zionism stats? More a question of apathy than conscious posture?

I wonder. Anyway totally agree those arrogant squatters are fueling violence no doubt in my mind.

By: Gary Johnson

Gary Johnson — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:12:58 +0000

Antony, are you a secret member of Neturei Karta, or maybe the Mare Sharim?…hehehe..I jokes, but Jews and Muslims did live in peace until world war two and just after the first waves of Zionist forced immigration to Israel.

I think most people, whether Jew or Goyim, are Zionists in their heart of hearts, but the trouble is and as you infer….define Zionism.

Gary Johnsonstein

By: Jim Wright

Jim Wright — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:41:04 +0000

Sorry, I should have said “present it to the Jewish people”. Write in haste, repent at leisure.

By: Jim Wright

Jim Wright — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:39:13 +0000

I agree entirely with MichaelT, but the problem does not lie only with Israel. The model under which the state of Israel came into being is flawed in that the land was simply taken away from the Palestinians, some of whom had been there for about the same length of time as the Jewish people had occupied the territory. A more just model would have been for the members of the UN to buy the land from the Palestinians and present it to the Palestinians. I would suggest that a way forward would be for a huge amount of aid to be made available (the purchase price plus 60 years of interest, perhaps) for the development of Palestine on condition that it lies on the table until (i) all aggression agains Israel ceases and (ii) all of the Muslim states acknowledge Israel’s right ot exist. I am convinced that all the Palestinian people just want to live productive and happy lives and a situation of this kind would force a comprehensive movement away from their current tacit support of “terrorist” activities. Of course, Israel would have to vacate all of the land that they have not been awarded by the UN, though there is a case for the land up to the green line to be retained as reparations for the several wars inflicted upon Israel by its Arab neighbours.
I sometimes have a pleasant fantasy about a Palestine as rich as Israel joining with that nation in the future to form something like the EU with easy access to all places important to the inhabitants, but each retaining its sovereignty

By: Vincent Matthews

Vincent Matthews — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:23:33 +0000

When will the leaders of the pro-Israel lobby drop the blinkers and see the world as it really is?This half-blind insistence that Israel can do no wrong is damaging the image of Zionism. Yes, there is a growth in anti-Semitism and it is directly attributable to the brutal actions of the Israeli military that cannot be hidden thanks to the access to modern communcation systems.
It appears to so many people worldwide that the Israelis are making the Palestinians suffer for the crimes committed byothers during the holocaust. Israel has the military powere to impose its will in the Middle East but it has alienated a generation of Palestinians and millions of others internationally who in the past have sympathised with the Zionist cause.

By: MichaelT

MichaelT — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:06:22 +0000

From the outside there are many who have a deep appreciation of Jewish culture and who want to be friends of Israel. But the sight of Palestinian families being thrown out on the streets of Jerusalem is repugnant. These sorts of agressive and discriminatory actions make it much harder to keep up the traditional support that has been extended for so long. Israel is living off its political capital in this respect, and needs to give us good reasons why we should continue to support it. Israel needs to desist from agressive land-grabs and take up a more purely defensive posture, which would make it a lot easier for us to stay friends.