Comment by unholythree
2 years ago
Well Jews are a cultural and ethnic group as well; so saying Israel shouldn’t be a Jewish state is similar to saying Japan shouldn’t be a Japanese state. It was explicitly established to create (or some would say reclaimed) a Jewish homeland. It’s Jewishness is central to it’s raison d'être.
I’m not completely bought into your comparison, but running with it for a second — If one were to challenge the notion that the Japanese state should privilege ethnic Japanese over other people living in its borders, no I would not consider that position to be “anti-Japanese”.
Similarly, I don’t understand is how expressing the personal view that all of the people living in the territory of Israel — Jews and non-Jews alike — would be better off living in a secular state, is somehow akin to anti-semitism.
Japan isn't an officially Shinto state, afaik. And it wouldn't be wrong to criticize its subjugation of the indigenous Ainu people. I think that calling for a multi-ethnic, secular Japanese state is fair.
Japan isn’t officially a Japanese country?
Come on mate, thats possibly the most asinine and distasteful argument I have seen on this site.
The comment said
> Japan isn't an officially Shinto state
You are just misquoting the comment
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So wouldn't saying that Israel shouldn't be a Jewish state then be similar to saying that the United States shouldn't be a white state?
The USA is a bad example because it does not have a basic ethnic group. A good parallel would be: "France should not be a French state" or "Ireland should not be an Irish state" or again "Japan should not be a Japanese state."
It seems to me that Israel has two basic ethnic groups, Jewish and Palestinian. I think that many people are objecting to the perception that they are favoring one of those groups.*
I also think that many (most?) people would object to France, Ireland, or Japan favoring people who were ethnically or religiously French/Irish/Japanese.
* Edit: I think that people are also objecting to the fact that many Palestinians don't have a place where they can be prosperous and debatably had their land stolen.
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