In its entire history, Israel has never sought to have a country of only Jewish Israelis. In 1948, when six Arab armies went to war against the newly established State of Israel, Israel fought to secure its borders, but never sought to simply expel residents on the basis of their religion, ethnicity, or creed. According to Benny Morris, the foremost
This is a chant that refers to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, which comprises Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. This geographic area encompasses the entirety of Israel within its internationally recognized borders, as well as all Palestinian territories, effectively calling for the elimination of Israel as a sovereign Jewish state. This chant is heard
Genocide is the deliberate killing of a group of people from a particular national, religious, or ethnic group with the goal of destroying that group. The legal definition, established in the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, specifies that genocide requires “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such,” meaning the deliberate targeting
Antisemitism is an irrational hatred of the Jewish people, for any number of reasons. It is a historic hatred that goes back millennia and is often described as a conspiracy theory, because the beliefs underlying it have no basis in reality. Antisemitism is a form of racism, and an Antisemite holds hostile, prejudicial, or hateful positions regarding the Jewish people.
Israel is a democracy in the same way that Canada, the United States, and Western European countries are democracies. It was established as such on May 14, 1948, when its Declaration of Independence was signed, extending “complete equality of social and political rights to all of its inhabitants, irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion,
When discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there is an important distinction to be made between Arab-Israelis and Palestinian Arabs. Arab-Israelis live in Israel and have Israeli citizenship. With this citizenship, they have all the same rights as Jewish Israeli citizens, including the right to vote, run for office, access healthcare, and pursue employment. Today, approximately 2.2 million Arab citizens comprise 21%
For almost the entire history of political Zionism, Jewish leaders have sought peace with their Arab neighbours. This commitment dates to Theodor Herzl’s vision in his 1902 novel “Altneuland,” which depicted Jews and Arabs living together harmoniously in a future Jewish state. Israel’s Declaration of Independence clearly states that Israel will extend a hand to all neighbouring states in the
