Comments on: Can I Bring My Own Gun? (A Review)

By: Rankin Mike

Rankin Mike — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:42:20 +0000

Alex: “I don’t think it’s anti-Zionist to suggest that Jews shouldn’t have exclusive sovereignty.”

I said sovereignty, not exclusive sovereignty. If Jews aren’t a majority, then they can’t claim sovereignty. To suggest Jews can simply live as citizens, likely as an ethnic minority, in a binational state is going against the fundamental aim of Zionism – to have a place to call our own. Unfortunately, Jews living as minorities haven’t had the best record of survival.

For a quick Zionism 101, let’s return to the vision set out on 14 May 1948 . It has achieved many of the ideals set forth back then, but some are still yet to be attained (and Israel is hardly unique in that respect). Let’s try and fulfil that vision, rather than turning back to the clock to a people of exile.

From Israel’s Declaration of Independence:

“THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.”

By: Gabriel

Gabriel — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:45:57 +0000

Alex, in theory, you are right but in practice, it doesn’t work that way. Israel is not meant only as a Jewish state, but as a state for Jews everywhere. Would a majority-Muslim state protect Jews around the world? Highly doubtful. Would there be a right of any Jew to live in Israel? Certainly not. The other reality, is that very few Jews would choose to remain in a state based on Islamic law (which the majority of Palestinians want-the notion of a secular state is supported by a small minority) or even a state which was robbed of its Jewish identity. So, even if the single-state led to little bloodshed (dubious assumption), it would definitely lead to a mass exodus of Jews. Ze’ev Sternhell, one of the founders of Peace Now said in an interview with The Nation “Sternhell says he’d rather live in Paris or New York than in a binational state. ” The binational model is nothing more than a disingenuous attempt at the destruction of Israel. Israel (which it would no longer be called) would not be a Jewish state or a state for Jews. Thus, Zionism would be destroyed. The two-state solution based on a just peace is the only way forward.

By: Alex Stein

Alex Stein — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 08:42:24 +0000

Ranks – I don’t think it’s anti-Zionist to suggest that Jews shouldn’t have exclusive sovereignty.

By: Ruth

Ruth — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 04:52:02 +0000

You are too good to Seth. I don’t bother reading his articles anymore.

By: Gabriel

Gabriel — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 00:12:52 +0000

One thing you have to do in book reviews if you will not recuse yourself from writing it, is to acknowledge your relationship to the writer. Both “the writer is my friend” or “the writer trashed my book in his review last week” are incredibly important for the integrity of the review. Personally, I can’t stand Freedman’s writing as he deliberately misrepresents arguments and robs Israel of the nuances needed to understand such complex conflict. (Israel does bad things, but not all the bad things it does are purely bad or done out of sadism) Maybe he’s a great guy in person, but he comes off like a massive self-righteous prick in his writing.

By: Rankin Mike

Rankin Mike — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:41:01 +0000

Stein, you’re not the only blogger to be mentioned in Seth’s book…

“By the end, he is an avowed anti-Zionist, or at least that’s how he describes himself. It’s clear, however, that he still justifies Jews having rights to live in the Land of Israel, not to mention the importance of military or national service for all Israel’s citizens. The anti-Zionist label may endear him to the cyber-crowds on CIF, but it’s clear that he remains very much in the Zionist camp, albeit as a bit of a radical.”

Please can you elaborate on this obvious contradiction. Arguing that the Jews simply have right to reside in the Land of Israel – and relinquish our sovereignty – is the antithesis of Zionism.