Poll: Do you like Israel?

[Alphavillain]

I think people are most sick about The U.S.'s support for Israel and the fact that they are never held accountable for their actions to the same degree as other countries in the (largely U.S.-controlled) United Nations.

However, I also think the leaderships of Arab countries make a lot of political mileage out of Israel and live off the back of the injustice in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. In many ways Israel and Arab countries live in a perversely and mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship to each other, where each party reiterates their existence thanks to the other.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

Never been there, never met anyone FROM there. Therefore, I have no opinion. This is EXACTLY what I said about Germany, and Canada before that.

Can we, you know, stop with these?

 

[WestMountain]

The people of Israel are like any else, the politicians however are a bunch of liars, like when they attempted to sink a US aircraft carrier outside Egypt, to make USA believe that the libyans were attacking them and therefore creating a war inbetween Libya and USA

But they managed to send out a distress signal that Israel were attacking them and therefore hindering a war, a lot of marines died that day, and who knows what else they've done secretly.

 

[Vandenberg1]

I have never been to Israel so I voted I don't care.

I DO get a LOT of my daily news filled by stories about Israel vs. everyone and I want them to stop. If you live in Israel or have any influence over what goes on there, I kindly ask that you get your $%&# together and move in to the 21st century with the rest of us. Here are some pointers.

- don't divide your population along ethnic lines
- do not force a conflict when the courts can resolve disputes
- eliminate extremists' access to elected posts (don't vote for them.)
- don't allow religious arguments to influence politics (no priests or clergy may hold office.)
- make love, not war (sounds corny, but in the case of Israel it is still valid.)

And finally. Try your best not to turn up on my TV news any more. Failure to do so, will result in my support for a UN solution that revokes the rights of anyone to live there. I call it the kindergarten-solution. A solution often used when kids cannot agree to share toys; remove said toy from the equation. In this case the rights of ANYONE living there are in jeopardy because a small minority (on both sides,) insist on using violence, threats, forced re-settlement and other 18th century methods.

On behalf of the rest of the world: SHUT UP ABOUT YOUR FAIL COUNTRY.

Now back to playing computer games to Escape our dull reality.

Everything you listed is a problem within the U.S. We have no priest in office but I can name a few Presidents who think they were. No non-Christian will ever hold office for the for-seeable future... Don't say JFK, to a Pagan like me Catholisicm is Christian (worship of Christ)

 

[jbchillin]

I'm in full support of the country. i absolutely love it.

 

[kickyourass]

I'd say yes, but honestly, I don't think I know enough about it to render much of an opinion.

 

[Robert Ewing]

I don't like Israel. The only thing I find good about their country is their architecture, and how they've managed to modernize a primarily medieval culture very well.

All the rest, I think they are pretty under standard. West bank and Gaza Strip, not cool guiz. And the Jewish and Palestinian conflict, while mostly out of the governments control most of the time aren't cool either. And public unrest and riots seem to play a large part as well.

Israel's populace from what I've seen seems to have a 'f*ck the system' attitude. If a countries population thinks that, they must be doing at least one thing wrong...

 

[Something Amyss]

No reason not to support them.

Unless you count the massive overkill involved. Response to a rocket or bomb wit no casualties? Kill indiscriminately, even though they have the technology for precision. I have no tolerance for it when my own country does it (The US); I see no reason to support it when another does. It's like using a shotgun in a fistfight. It's unnecessary and monstrous.

 

[Mavinchious Maximus]

No.
But I have to add that I have never been there and I am a german, so I got bombarded with guilt-inducing propaganda my whole life. Makes it kind of hard to like them.

In addition to that the whole middle-east conflict seems really silly to me. Why did they have to found Isreal there? Why couldn't it be somewhere in Nevada?

I mean Holy Places are one thing, but are they worth this kind of bullshit all the time?

Hey I don't want to be kicked out of my house in Nevada because some group of punks have religious claims to it! Why don't they get moved to Mexico, no Mexican want to live their for some reason...

 

[Comrade_Beric]

First of all, your dear refugees.
We didn't deport them or force them out.
In '48 before the British left the Arab leaders told the local Muslims to leave mixed cities (both Jews and Muslims lived side by side) and flee away so that they won't be caught in the crossfire that will be the result from a war between the Arab nations and the fledgling Israel. Here. The refugees aren't returning because they left Israel out of their own choice.
If we let them in there would be a large percentage of Arabs here and in a democracy every single politician we ever had knows not to do that mistake. Basically, they're screwed since the Arabs are using them as an excuse while Israel doesn't want them.

So, Arabs left the land because they were being shot at and they're not being allowed back in because they wouldn't vote to keep Jewish politicians in power... yeah, I can't comprehend how you think this is somehow supposed to make Israel look better to me...

...
Say hello to Zionism, a nationalism movement that believes the Jews to be a nation, and therefore entitled of their own land and country. Which isn't racism. It is not unlike French patriotism or British nationalism.
Reasons for choosing Israel as the place to have their country is so damn long that I could just tell you that in a PM or point you to a previous post of mine.

That *is* racism, though. Defining a race as a nation and vice versa is racist. American as a Nationality is not the same as American as an ethnic group, nor is it for French nor British. But, as you just said, to be Jewish is to be a member of a nation defined by that ethnicity. That is no less racist than Nazis defining Germany by one's racial characteristics and it galls me to think that you believe it is somehow less so here.

...
Say hello to about 1.3 Million Arabs currently living in Israel, comprising of about ~18% of the general population (last time I checked.) . They live in Israel their lives, work here, live here, go to hospitals, enjoy the welfare and pay taxes.
What? You didn't know that there are over one million Palestinians in Israel?
What? You didn't know that we have Muslim Parliament members and a party for Arabs?
What? You didn;t know we have Muslim court judges and lawyers? Doctors? Captains of the Industry?
But YOU SAID that they're supposed to be oppressed, because Israel took their land and threw out all of the Muslims!
I wonder what should I do... Maybe you're lying, or perhaps they are all just Druz!

A racial minority within the nation that has a separate government? What of the land the settlers take away? What of the bombings in the Gaza Strip or Lebenon? What of the blockade meant to starve the people in Gaza because your government is unhappy with the way they voted? What of the occupation which prevents another sovereign nation from having its own armed forces to defend itself and instead must submit to Israeli checkpoints just to move around their own country? Or do you define these places as Israel, too?

The reason there is never a peace settlement is not because of the Palestinians, but because of Israel. Why should Israel ever agree to anything? Israel already has the best conceivable position, slowly taking more land away from people who can't stop them, controlling their every movement, holding them hostage economically, and all while not allowing them a vote in the Israeli government which controls them. If there were a settlement, justice would dictate that Israel would have to give up far more than it would gain, so why should they ever not walk out of a negotiation that they were only attending in the first place to keep their biggest foreign aid partner, the United States, happy?

If there were any actual hope of Palestinians regaining the land they had even in 1967 through peaceful means, I would not hesitate to condemn them for their acts of violence, but as long as Israel has no reason to actually negotiate, I have no more problem with Palestinian violence today than I have with Irish violence against the British in the 1920s.

 

[Therumancer]

I saw the question on Germany so I thought what the hell..
How do all of you gamers out there feel about my homeland?

..I get a feeling that this will controversial..
No matter what, I love you guys and please give your honest opinion..I am just curious

Cheers

I like Isreal just fine, I tend to wind up supporting your country in debates involving it, even when it's hardly a popular thing to do.

 

[electric_warrior]

I accept their right to exist only if they accept Palestine's right to exist

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

I get irritated by rabid anti-Israel rhetoric. Since the media has decided to hate it I look at it as an underdog, no matter its military strength.

There's also a lot of ignorance when it comes to that situation. I usually just hear agency-blurred "facts" designed to garner an emotional response. I suppose it's to be expected, but I still find it irritating when I'm asked my opinion on the conflict in the Middle East, already knowing full well the opinion of the person asking me.

Hm, seems I didn't answer the actual question, though Israel's existence is obviously tied to the conflict.

I don't know. I haven't been, and I can't trust the news to tell me the truth, but neither can I trust myself to know the truth if I can't trust the news.

 

[CWestfall]

Israel is a very good example of "Good idea, bad location"

 

[BakaSmurf]

I haven't a clue what's going on in Isreal right now, but I do know that you guys developed the bitchinest assault rifle ever, so that gets you a few points from me.

I was talking about the IMI Tavor TAR-21 [http://fragcdo.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/aeg-44-l.jpg?w=460&h=832], by the way.

 

[Comrade_Beric]

Ugh, I'm going to hate myself for responding to this, buuuuuuuuuuuuut......

So the solution to this problem, of which you describe people alive today remembering the time they lived on their own land, is to evict more people out of the land (7+ million)? I really find this "solution" detrimental to everyone involved because it will only make the situation cyclical. It only ignores the bigger, core issue of relieving tension and just trying to get everyone to play nice.

And trying to compare terrorist organizations who not only want to destroy Israel completely, but bring down western civilization and whatnot, to organizations during WWII, one of the largest conflicts in history with shit going down yo, is kind of weird to say the least.

Bleh, me and my big fat mouth and itchy fingers. I've started something, didn't I?

I already replied to The Iron Ruler and there would be too much overlap if I replied to you entirely, but the clarification I can make to you is this: I believe Israel should back out to the 1967 territorial lines and recognize Palestine as a fully sovereign nation, allowed to collect its own taxes, govern its own people, and have its own standing police and armed forces. Israel also needs to reform with a written constitution that does not call for a racist definition of the nation. If Israel did all of these things, I would be satisfied with Israel. There is no need for the destruction of Israel, but the Israeli government needs to learn to let go.

 

[Kingsnake661]

I'm indifferent / netural on the matter. Seems to be to be a rock / hardplace situation from the very begining.

I do find it.. a tad.. funny / ironic watching so many Americans (me being an american) go on and on about Israel stealing the land.. I'd have to say.. we don't have alot of room to talk... ALOT of countries don't. Empire building, land claiming, and popuplation displacement isn't something that's new, and something i'd wager a majority of "super power" nations have engaged in over their historys. And if i understand correctly, they didn't take so much as was GIVEN the land by... everyone else. I do think they've expanded some since, and that being one of major sticking points?? I can't really say, i don't know.

Like i said, rock and hard place, and very few nations on earth really have much ground to stand on when critizing them, as far as i'm conserned. *shrug*

 

[dashiz94]

I'm just going to say this and leave it at that...

Israel has received the shit end of the stick from both the United Nations and the Middle East. It's an incredibly tiny country that doesn't desire conflict but has had to put up with bullshit from both sides. The Arab League alwasy trumps whatever Israel wants in the U.N. because there's more of them.

Second, it's infuriating how people love to blame Israel for the state that Palestine is in, but no one ever levies blame against the multitude of INCREDIBLY RICH Arab countries that do nothing to aid that country. The U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, and Iran could easily build up that region into a highly functioning society, but it refuses to so that it has a legitimate argument to give to the U.N. about why Israel sucks.

Third, I hate Netanyahu, the guy's a prick.

Fourth, I'm not entirely opposed to a two-state solution, but I worry it would simply dissolve into the situation we have now between India and Pakistan.

Other than that, I love the country for everything else except for how damn hot it is.

 

[JET1971]

I dont like the government for the simple fact that it is a religious based government and no good has ever come from mixing the 2. Religion and government should always be seperate.

as for anything else to do with Isreal and the people themselves i have no opinion, likes or dislikes about them.

 

[electric_warrior]

I accept their right to exist only if they accept Palestine's right to exist

why would they do that, they have the almost full support of the US and are winning? I imagine they will have complete control of the region in the next 50 years. I far as im concerned winners and losers are just how the world works(not fair but reality)

Not saying they would do that, just saying that until they do I don't like them.