About Zionism?

Question

Hi. I know I attack zionist a lot and people are begining to think I'm anti-semetic (rolls eyes) but christians, whats your opinions on zionism? I'm very anti-zionist. Its not fair what happened to the palestinians (many of them were christians, may I remind you).

I just need you opinion, thank you.

Answer 1

Funny thing is there are a growing number of Jews that are against the Zionist movement. Saw a special on PBS about it. Personally I am against the Zionist movement, I think it is totally wrong and has caused damage that may never be repaired. Just me, a Christian.

Answer 2

Flash, many Jewish people have mixed feelings about Zionism, you needn't be so closed minded as to lump all Jews together just as there is no all Christians answer.

What element of Jews having their own country do you find difficult to accept? being "very anti-Zionist" is a pretty broad statement.

Are you familiar with the whole history of the Palestine Partition Plan, proposed by Lord Balfour in and validated by the Sultans? The negotiations, the boatloads of Jews turned away from the harbor because the law was reversed?

Or are you only familiar with the stories from the modern day media?

Open up a little in a more concrete question!

Answer 3

Zionism is a political philosophy, why on earth are you asking this in the R&S section?


As a side note though if a peson is going to be very anti any political philosophy it would be intelectually honest to look at the other side of the coin.

Answer 4

The Arab-Israeli Conflict in a Nutshell

Israelite rule in Eretz Yisrael started with Joshua’s conquest in about 1250 BCE (before the Common Era).

From 587 BCE onward, the region came under the control of various Imperial powers, such as the Babylonians, the Persians, Greece-Assyrians and the Romans. The Jewish population was almost destroyed by the Romans, who renamed the geographical region “Palestia” in order to eradicate all signs of Jewish identification with the Land of Israel. The Roman word “Palestia” (or Palestine) actually comes from the word “Philistia” (or Philistines), who were ancient sea-faring people of Greek origin.

After the Romans, in the Common Era, we see again a succession of various powers gaining control of that region. It was not until the seventh century - almost 2000 years after the Jews began living in Israel - that Mohammed created his religion, today known as Islam. Within a hundred years of his death in 732 CE, Arab Muslims succeeded in conquering the entire Arab peninsula and most of the Middle East. They also conquered Africa and invaded Europe through Spain, clear into France from one side, and came in from Turkey trough the Eastern European countries, through Hungary into Austria. They almost invaded all of Europe.

Between 1099 and 1291 they were driven back by the Crusaders. After that we see again different powers rule the region, such as Mamluks, Ottomans, and from 1917 – 1948 Great Britain. Yet, during all these turbulent times in history, there was always a Jewish presence in that area, and there never was an independent Arab or Palestinian State or government in that region. The Jewish people spoke Hebrew, Arabs who remained there spoke Arabic, and the British spoke English. There is no such thing as a Palestinian language or culture in that area. As a matter of fact, the region known as Palestine was a neglected area of deserts and malaria-infested swamps, with few inhabitants and mostly uncultivated.

In November 1947, the British gave all of the land east of the river Jordan to the Hashemites (Jordanians), and the newly formed United Nations decided to divide what was left of the land between the Palestinian Jews and Arabs. Over 80% of the area which was offered to the Jews, was desert, while the Arabs were offered large areas of fertile land in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), and also in the northern Galilee. It was actually land that been cultivated by the Jews, who had drained the swamps and introduced irrigation and modern agriculture.

Did the Arabs accept the UN partition plan? I they would have, we would now have a 54-year old independent Palestinian state. But the Arabs refuse to this day to recognize the right of Israel to exist as a sovereign state. The idea of Jewish presence anywhere, is unacceptable to the Muslim Arabs. So, as soon as the new state of Israel was established in 1948, they decided to invade and destroy it. As a result, the war that followed, created the refugee problem. The responsibility for solving the refugee problem should be resting on those who created it. The Arab states forced thousands of Jews to leave their lands and flee to Israel. They could have easily integrated the Arabs into their various Arab states, but they refused to absorb them in order to a) draw the world’s attention to the refugee problem, and b) thus perpetuate a hatred towards Israel for generations to come.

The PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) was formed in 1964 – 3 years before the West Bank and Gaza Strip were captured by Israel during the 1967 war. Up until that time, the Palestinian Arabs were under Jordanian and Egyptian authority. Why was that organization formed? The Palestinian Arabs never demanded independence from Jordan or Egypt, who did they want to be liberated from?

In 1979, Israel and Egypt sign a Peace Treaty, and in 1982 Israel withdraws from the Sinai.

In 1991, at a Middle East peace conference in Madrid, between Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and the Palestinian Arabs, a 2-stage plan was formed: 1. A 5-year interim self-government to be followed by 2. Negotiations for a permanent state.

In 1993 – The Oslo agreement is signed by Yasser Arafat and Yitzchak Rabin. Israel offers to recognize the PLO as a legitimate authority and to withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria, except for Hevron.

In 2000, at the Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David, Ehud Barak offered 95% of the West Bank to the Palestinian Arabs. Did the Arabs accept this offer? No, they responded with the Intifada, blowing up public buses and places with suicide bombers. So, who bears the responsibility for the breakdown of the Oslo Peace process? Clearly it is Yasser Arafat.

It is obvious that the Palestinian Arabs want ALL OR NOTHING. That contradicts the basic concept of any negotiation, doesn’t it?

It's important to understand historical facts!!

Answer 5

the zionist " settlers " will kill a Christian as easily as they will kill a Muslim. People are just starting to realize this.