In writing my report on the Monday night event at UC-Irvine put on by the Students for Justice in Palestine, I overlooked a noteworthy point that occurred during the Q and A. Matan Lurey, a Jewish student, who is student president of Hillel and participant in the Olive Tree Initiative, asked the audience how many supported the right of Israel to exist as an independent state. He reports (and I concur) that about half raised their hands.
I would estimate there were 50-60 people present, mostly students who are not Israel-supporters with several older adults in the audience. That includes some Jewish folks I had seen at previous events, several of whom are sympathetic to the Palestinian side. I would say that most of the folks who raised their hands were older.
Here is the article written by Matan Lurey in his blog, Quidpropeace.
http://quidpropeace.com/post/3598778450/why-israel-should-be-recognized-as-a-jewish-state
Congratulations. It is always good to see people of modestly different viewpoints working together as to points of agreement. It does appear, from Matan's posts, that Europe in general, and Holland in particular, are more explicitly supportive of Israel (as a Jewish state) than I would have thought from earlier posts at this site.
ReplyDeleteRead what Matan wrote, then tell me why and how you know it to be false, or irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteEuropeans have funny ideas of decorum and order that we don't go in for here. Geert Wilders is on trial because going directly from monarchy by divine right of kings to attenuated social democracy, Europeans have this idea that they should punish lese majeste against their nice fuzzy self satisfied view of themselves.
Siarlys,
ReplyDeleteI am not attacking Matan's statements rather yours. Matan quoted two european governments that supported Israel's right to exist. I pointed out that Holland was not a good place for Jews. There is ample evidence for that including calls for Jews to get out of A-Dam for their own safety (which I have previously posted).
Stir the brew enough times Gary, you can get almost any pattern you desire to show up for a second or two. You linked to Matan's post. I commented on it. Holland was one of the "two European governments that supported Israel's right to exist" that Matan referenced. I compared this, implicitly, to your own past assertions that it is a terrible place for Jews to live. You generally associate the level of modern European anti-semitism to hatred of Israel. You are correct -- most of this particular form of anti-Semitism would be nonexistent, if Israel did not exist as a "Jewish state."
ReplyDeleteTherefore, you reject my congratulations for your warm words to Matan, by reasserting that Moroccans in Amsterdam are harrassing Jews there. Then, when I refer back to what Matan wrote, in a post you linked to, you tell me that you were not attacking Matan's statements.
Figure out which direction your head is spinning, Gary, then get on a merry go round and spin in the opposite direction until you can walk a straight line.