Israel In Danger of Losing America's Jewish Youth

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The sooner people stop referring to themselves as any particular thing, such as Jews or Arabs the more progression will be made by the human genome.

Ronald S. Bushnell of MA 9:52PM April 09, 2011

The shift of suport away from israel is eco/political motivated.Just think!!!, the propagandas,The media, the news cast, Etc.

Milton Colaço 5:10PM January 14, 2011

It is debateable how much of an underdog Israel has ever been, however there is no doubt that today Israel is sowing the seeds of its own destruction. A state motivated by paranoia of all its neighbours can never be anything more than a modern day Sparta. It is unfortunate Israel has received endless blind support from Americans - just as the IRA once did from Irish-Americans. It's time for American Zionists to use a moderating influence to save Israel. Not sure the will to do so exists, nor the time. There's a saying that there are no people more Irish than those who leave Ireland. Likewise, Jewish-Americans are more likely to be hardline Zionists and unlikely to have any moderation to offer. It's easy to be an extremist when you aren't in the line of fire.
Even in the above article there is a disconnect from reality in describing Hizbollah and Hamas as threats to Israel. Hizbollah came into being in reaction to the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. Hamas was actually created by Israel in order to divide Palestinians. Today both organisations gain their strength from the threat Israel poses(two wars in the last four years!). Rather than being existential threats, they are natural reactions to Israeli extremism.
It may be that Israel is losing the support of young American-Jews. Given their behavior they don't deserve that support. Anyway that support is being replaced by fundamentalist Christians. That wacko group will certainly help Zionist hardliners push Israel over the edge into oblivion.

Paul Whiteside 8:50AM May 26, 2010

The Zionist cause has used means
That other causes do not like,
Resulting in cause war machines
Just as deadly as the Third Reich,
Which the young know of secondhand,
But know firsthand what goes on now.
And the young do not understand
Why all the holier than thou
Must constantly seek to destroy,
In the name of this cause or that,
Hopes and dreams of each girl and boy,
Because of who and where they're at.
All young, whether Jewish or not,
Should heal the wounds the old have wrought.

Ima Ryma of IL 4:11AM May 26, 2010

It is sad how the current generation is enabling a second Holocaust by turning their backs on Israel and forgetting the need for Israel and Jewish self-determination. Perhaps Israel and the American Jewish community should genuinely consider Kahane's comments about how Arabs and Jews cannot live together as equals in Israel, while maintaining Israel as both a Jewish state and a democracy.
Just remember: implementing that would not require any deaths. Example: If a Palestinian state does get created at some point, it could be implemented by having Arabs living in Israel either move to the Palestinian state or exchange Israeli citizenship for Palestinian citizenship. (The problem of course is that the Palestinians want to destroy Israel, care more about that than about land or statehood, and never miss an opportunity to make peace. In all likelihood, a full scale war will occur first.)

Anon of IL 1:51AM May 26, 2010

After centuries of Byzantine conquest and settlement, the "land grabbing" Arab Empire launched wars of conquest and settlement, making Palestine an Arab colony along with the rest of the previously Christian Middle East. Like Christianity, Islam presented itself as having superceded the religion of the Jews. Claiming a mythical connection between Muhammed and Jerusalem, the invaders from the Arabian peninsula destroyed the church that had been built on the site of the Temple of the God of Israel,(which had been built over a thousand years before,) and claimed The Temple Mount to be Moslem on the basis of an interpretation of a dream Mohammed was said to have had. The land of Israel and Jerusalem in particular has been the geographical and spiritual heart of the Nation of Israel long before Mohammed. In the 20th century the Jews reclaimed THEIR OWN LAND from the Arab/Islamic invaders. Israel has been prepared to share the land of Israel with its previous tenants as evidenced by the equal enfranchisement of the Arabs who stayed in Israel as full citizens. (Things as we know, got much more complex after 1967.) The land of Israel has always been the land of the People of Israel and always will be.If Islam would accept the presence of the Jewish State on a fraction of a percent of the "lands of Islam" (and nowhere near the heart of Islam in Mecca.)
Imagine if a western country would conquer the Arabian Peninsula, 1400 years after Mohammed, and claim on the basis of a some biblical exegesis, that Jesus had consecrated Mecca for Christians. This is Islam's and the Arab claim to Israel. Most American Jews are unaware of the truth of the matter. Further they are fed the myth that until 1948 or 1967, depending on the narrative of the moment, all the Arabs of Palestine were passive innocent victims, just minding their own business. There have certainly been all too many innocent victims on both sides, But Arab violence against Jews has been going on in Palestine for a hundred years. In the early years it consisted of raids to steal animals and machinery and sabotage Jewish agriculture then came pogroms and massacres.Palestinians fought against the Jews in 48, along with the rest of the Arab armies and since then have perpetrated uncountable ambushes, sniping, terror attacks, rocket and mortar fire etc. (almost exclusively against civilians and with no military purpose). As we have seen terror and hostile activity decline in the west bank, the Arab population has become much more free, autonomous and prosperous. Gaza under Hamas, on the other hand continues its rejection of any peace with Israel and claims a "right" to attack Jews in Israel which they exercise on a regular basis. They could end the siege in a day by declaring that they accept Israel's border and will end all violence directed at the Jewish State.
There are other, more accurate and truthful ways to look at the situation than the one currently fashionable in liberal circles.

ezra of TX 12:54AM May 26, 2010

Peter seems to think that any resentment among Jews (Orthodox, establishment or otherwise) toward Arabs is nothing other than invidious racism. It is reasonable however to suggest that among those most passionate about and most closely connected to Israel, resentment toward Arabs stems from the same factors that make many Israelis resent those who have demeaned the Jewish connection to the land and waged wars -- of terror and others -- against it incessantly. The best antidote to all that, in Israel and among American Jews -- liberal, Orthodox or other -- is Arabs acting more like Ghandi and less like Che Guevera.
http://www.ou.org/public_affairs/weblog_single/69711

Amy Baker of CA 6:41PM May 25, 2010

Israel IS a "land-grabbing bully", founded on the same principles of colonialism from which America, Australia, et al were also founded (namely, the "God gave us this land, so the people who have been here for generations are out of luck" model of thinking). In short: Europeans invade a foreign area, displace and kill the natives, and treat the remaining natives as second-class citizens. When the remaining natives rebel, they are labeled as terrorists and killed. When Israel was originally founded, this thought rarely went through anyone's head due to how recent the Holocaust was. In retrospect, Jews and non-Jews alike are forced to realize that Israel's "founding" was no more noble than the "founding" of any other colonial state. Now, young people with their eyes open are forced to reconcile their love of a country with the idiotic way it was created (and the way it still treats the natives), much as Americans are forced to realize that if a bunch of Europeans hadn't killed off 99% of the Native Americans, we wouldn't be here right now.

Liz of MA 4:25PM May 25, 2010

After I read more about the way Israel used its military assets (most of it supplied by my taxes against my will,) I say current Israeli leaders behave fascistically. Catholic Hitler said there was "a Jewish problem." But Germany had a Cathoiic problem. It was overbreeding caused by civil enforcement of Catholic laws banning contraception & abortion. As Catholics became the majority, crowding in everywhere, Hitler said Germany needed "living room" to the East. They emptied & re-fllled areas by shooting, starving, burning. When young Israel began, the small colonies reached an end to official capacity but never stopped. Israel invites crowding by natural increase and by inviting immigration. A book about IKe says he had a Catholic mistress, his driver. When Germany was losing, many SS fled to the Middle East. Some learned Hebrew and "became Jews." Some learned Arabic & "became Muslims." Who knows whether these remnants of the Third Reich began all this mess and keep it going? Israel was wrongly begun. Germany should have been obliterated with bits of it being given to Jews but never in colony-size allocations. I hate my tax aid to Israel because it's a major exporter of war merchandise.

aURa dawn veirs of CA 3:43PM May 25, 2010

I've read Beinhart's piece and found it insightful and full of hard truths.
What I am confused by is this article or blog post by Farrell. He basically took a bunch of quotes from the book, copy/pasted them, and then simply said he agrees but provides no insight or evidence himself.
Pretty pathetic. I wish US News would give me a job because this was a waste of my time.

Dave of PA 2:27PM May 25, 2010