Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East.
(From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Wednesday 21 August 2013

A Former Muslim On Intolerance Of Israel: "The Problem With Arab Culture Is It Is The Most Ethnocentric Culture On Earth ... " (video)

The following studio discussion involving a Jew and a Muslim-turned-Christian concentrates on Jew-hatred in Egypt past and present but broadens into a discussion of Islamic and Arab intolerance of Israel.

It's  interesting in the light of the fact that, during the current strife in Cairo, both sides have been calling the other puppets of Israel and Zionists (see this video report) and that, as a certain legendary blogger declares in the excerpt below, "arguably in recent years anti-Zionism and antisemitism" there has worsened.

En passant, in this StandWithUs video, the former Muslim also talks of the Sharia-mandated death penalty facing apostates from Islam such as she, as well as the misogynistic violence that bedevils the Islamic world.


"Peace will not bring friendship. Anyone who believes that only has to look at how Egypt and Jordan regard their peace treaties with Israel. They have been respecting the treaties but they have not stopped their incitement; arguably in recent years anti-Zionism and antisemitism in those two countries has gotten worse.
Unless you are wedded to the idea of an impossible peace where Israel and the PLO are allied, you should realize that today, we have real peace.
After any agreement is signed, we will see more deaths on both sides, guaranteed.
Efforts should not be put into a fantasy peace plan. Instead, we need a dose of realism. The factors that can destabilize the current peace are the ones that need to be neutralized.
This means doing real work to integrate Palestinian Arabs into Arab countries as full citizens. This means working towards a Syria that is neither Assad nor Al Qaeda, but one that gives its people hope and weakens both Hizballah and Iran. This means a policy that truly supports liberal, democratic forces in Egypt and Tunisia and elsewhere. It means working towards a Middle East that resembles more closely the de facto peace currently enjoyed by Israel and Palestinian Arabs, where the cost of war is much higher than the status quo."
That's the conclusion of a thought-provoking essay here by that maestro of all pro-Israel bloggers, that legend in his own lifetime, Elder of Ziyon (hat tip: reader Ian)

1 comment:

  1. And here's a relevant new article by the distinguished Israeli Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, himself a Muslim. He observes:

    "Arab journalists and columnists in Israel have been expressing their views about the Egyptian crisis without fear, while their colleagues in Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority are afraid to speak their mind.

    Israel, for example, is one of the few countries in the Middle East where Muslims are permitted to demonstrate in favor of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood organization.

    This is not because Israel supports Morsi or the Muslim Brotherhood; it is because the Muslim protesters know that in a democratic country like Israel they can hold peaceful demonstrations and express their views without having to worry about being targeted by the authorities.
    Israel has become a safe place not only for Arab Christians, but also for Muslims who wish to express their opinion away from intimidation and violence.

    While pro-Morsi demonstrators are being shot, wounded, arrested and harassed in Egypt, the Palestinian Authority-controlled territories and some Arab countries, in Israel they are free to stage protests and express their views even in the heart of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv."

    Read his entire article at http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3945/muslims-freedeom-of-speech

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