Gary, your articles are consistently the most interesting and broad-based this site has to offer. Congratulations again a fine job. I'm one Jew all for a new approach to the staleness of this decades long debate.

while Hezbollah was formed with Syrian and Iranian help, to establish a Shiite militant beachhead in perennially unstable Lebanon in the wake of their civil war and the rise of the political strength of the Druze and Maronite Christian political factions between 1975 and 1979 - the peak of the civil war there. See after Jordan threw out the PLO in 1970 they migrated to southern Lebanon and began to do what they always do - foment a war. But they were solidly in the pocket of the Soviets then and not considered either politically reliable nor sufficiently religious by the Shiite factions in Lebanon.

Hamas was orginally founded as a so called social welfare organization and flew under the radar for several years until the Oslo accords. Hamas decided it couldn't abide by Arafat's conciliation with Israel and took a different tack - suicide bus bombings between 1994 and 2000 that claimed the lives of about 900 Israelis.

Talk about framing the debate. No nation in the world other than Israel is continuously fighting to maintain its very existence. Israel is engaged in an ongoing struggle against groups actively attempting (often with success) to kill its civilians. Kamiya's casual assumption that strong support for a nation under such circumstances constitutes a "right-wing" ideology seems, therefore, a bit disingenuous at best.

There is plenty of room for disagreement about Israeli policies. But how can one justify the breezy assumption (in a liberal publication) that support for a besieged liberal democracy, and outrage about the killing of its civilians, comprise a "right-wing" position?

some american jews have discovered israel is oppressing palestinian arabs. better yet, they're going to press for 'a balanced approach.'

too late mate.

hamas and hezbullah have grown from the ashes of the american financed invasion of palestine. while europe and america heaved a sigh of relief- "that's the jewish problem solved," the people whose land and homes were taken at gunpoint haven't forgotten. while they live, the zionists must be militarist oppressors. any thing less will result in the extirpation of israel.

this seems unlikely now, but a black man is president of south africa and nelson mandela is respected around the world. the zionists, on the contrary, are despised, as the white government pf south africa was despised. so there is hope for a secular state of palestine, in spite of the american money that props up the zionists. the first president of that state will be from hamas. smart jews will work to make that happen peacefully.

btw: an incidental benefit will be that american tax money given israel will not be used to buy american politicians. won't that make a nice change!

Lampshade2 writes...

"On a separate point, Jewish exceptionalism and warmongering have bred a virulent anti-semitism in the US. From a non-Jew's perspective, it's is a self-defeating cycle that seems part of Jewish identity: you position yourselves as different and better, you exclude others, you are hated by others for that, you exclude more, you're hated more, etc."

Um, no. First off, what Jewish warmongering has occurred? The last time I checked none of our commander-in-chiefs have been Jewish. Yes, some neo-cons were Jewish. So were many anti-war protesters. How does this make all Jews warmongeres that deserve the hate they receive?

Second, Jews in the USA were excluded from most traditional organizations throughout much of of U.S. history. From political positions, social clubs, law firms, elite universities, etc. In 1913 Leo Frank was falsely accused of murder and lynched by a mob. Photos of his body swinging from a tree were sold for decades as a picture postcard throughout the South. The term "I got Jewed" and "Don't be a Jew" are still used commonly around the USA today for getting ripped off or cheapness. Up until the mid-60s Jews were blamed for murdering Jesus by the Catholic church. Countless Jewish kids were beaten up or worse for being "Christ-killers." You really believe Jews are themselves to blame for all this?

This exceptionalism you speak of, the idea of being a chosen people, refers to religious Jews feeling that they were chosen to spread the word of God (monotheism.) That God chose them to receive the ten commandments and share it with the world. To secular Jews this means the idea that there should be certain basic rules of morality, of justice, that should be considered universal-- thou shalt not kill being foremost among them. It does not mean, nor has it ever meant, that Jews feel they are better than others. That lie is found in the infamous virulently anti-semitic forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, not in Jewish doctrine. Also, note that Jews do not believe that non-believers are all going to pay a price or burn in eternal Hell like some religious Christians do.

Of course, those who are religious do feel their take on God is the correct one and therefore the others are mistaken. The same that Christians believe in their take, Muslims theirs, Hindus in theirs, etc. That's part of how religions work. Either Jesus was the messiah or not. Either there were latter day saints or not. But no Jew is saying the those who disagree with them are somehow less worthy as people. If anything, Jews are much less missionary than other religions popular in the USA and one doesn't find Jews going door to door trying to convert others.

You also wrote: "From an outisder's perspective, until Jews denounce as a community that they are inherently special or diffeent than others, they will be the targets of quite human and commonsensical disdain."

So we should all be the same? Part of the greatness of America is that we are many different cultures, believing in the truth of our Constitution, all living in one land. Some assimilate more than others. Some don't. Should, for example, Italian-Americans not feel pride in their heritage, celebrate certain days, and follow certain traditions? Should they have had to abandon that when they moved to America? Of course not. So why should Jews? You say it is commonsensical for those who are different to expect disdain. That sounds amazingly closed minded to me. It sounds like you're saying if you're different, you should expect to be persecuted. That you brought it on yourself and should suffer the consequences.

I think J Street sounds like a great idea that fosters open mindedness. I hope Lampshade2 doesn't think the new ideas that might emerge are too radical, or perhaps Lampshade2 will think they deserve persecution as well.