Israel/Palestine
In reply to the discussion: Yes, anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism [View all]Democratopia
(552 posts)Let me give an analogy. The IRA wanted to break up the United Kingdom against the wishes of the majority in Northern Ireland. It killed and maimed police, politicians and ordinary people. It got a lot of its funding from sympathizers in USA. I was one of the people who said, never negotiate with terrorists. I was proven wrong. I am glad I was wrong.
Did the people of Northern Ireland hate the English? No. But if the people of Northern Ireland had lived in relative squalor in what amounted to an open air prison, they might have done. Did the Irish blame America? No. What happened was that most people just wanted to live in peace. The politicians got together and worked on creating a plan for peace. The people voted and they voted for peace. Might not be a perfect solution and there might not be total peace, but things are a hell of a lot better. Just saying, "The IRA hate us. Period," achieves nothing. It makes the situation worse. I was one of those people, but my excuse is that I was young and naive. No excuse really, I was still wrong.
Saying all these groups hate the Jews achieves nothing. Look at the reasons why this might be. Try to understand your enemy, talk to them, know them, not hate them back, and then show them that they are wrong to hate you by leading them on a path to peace. The whole Zionism thing is a diversion. Israel is an established nation. That is not negotiable. It isn't relevant that three quarters of the population identify themselves as Jewish. It was relevant in 1948, but not now. What is important is to be a leader who can lead your enemy to peace, just as happened in Northern Ireland. Don't ever close the door to peace. Saying they hate us because of who we are is closing the door.