Practicality on the Palestinians

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  • #1094247
    yehudayona
    Participant

    I just read yytz’s response from 3 months ago where he said that the traffic fatality rate is higher in the U.S. than in Israel. I was skeptical, but when I looked it up, I found that by three different ways of ranking such things, it’s true (by number of inhabitants, number of motor vehicles, and by km driven). By inhabitants, Israel is surpassed by only a few countries (mostly small islands and Scandinavian countries where everybody probably drives Volvos). Source is Wikipedia article on List of countries by traffic-related death rate.

    #1094248
    assurnet
    Participant

    mw13 – I realize the trail of tears and other grave injustices America brought on the native Americans was a long time ago – I was contrasting it to examples brought by charliehall some of which were equally as long ago.

    I think your mention of crimea actually strengthens my point rather than refute it. Putin took over crimea and davka didn’t suffer any consequences! The world made very vocal protests, but on a practical level sat by and didn’t actually lift a finger to stop him. The US and Europe did institute several economic sanctions but as you can see from how beligerant Russia continues to be the obviously can’t be defined as “crippling.”

    And no – silicon valley is not always “where the crucial stuff comes from.” Have you noticed how every few months there are headlines about silicon valley firms like Google and Facebook buying up Israeli tech companies like Waze for deals in the tens of millions of dollars? If all the crucial stuff comes out of Silicon valley why don’t they develop it all themselves instead of purchasing Israeli firms who beat them to it? And when it comes to technology there is no “cat out of the bag” New and innovative groundbreaking software is constantly being developed.

    #1094250
    Joseph
    Participant

    So you’d be okay with the US and Europe leveling the same economic sanctions on Israel as they did on Russia for Crimea?

    #1094251
    tirtza
    Participant

    mw13,

    You are aware of the funding problems with the UNWRA, are you not?

    Your reply to me about the Arab League did not seem to indicate such.

    In short, they’re running out of money and there are calls to defund them in the US, who provides a third of their funding.

    They are complicit in incitement in their summer camps and textbooks and schools.

    They had explosive devices in their buildings last year during the Gaza op that killed IDF soldiers.

    Concerned Jews should write their Congressmen to defund UNWRA and get US taxpayers money out of funding terrorist supporting organizations, that contribute, rather than solve, the “Palestinian” problem.

    There are lots of refugees, these deserve to be settled in other, rich Arab nations to provide comfort to their own people. It certainly should not be American taxpayers paying for Arab propaganda.

    If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.

    RebYid23,perhaps you know of a chemical solution that could whisk away all the “Palestinians” to Saudi Arabia and Quatar?

    Maybe you know of a chemical solution that could be dropped from IDF bombers that would dissolve all the explosives in the UNWRA buildings to prevent casualties to Israeli citizens and the IDF?

    IF NOT, YOU”RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!

    #1094252
    assurnet
    Participant

    Apparently my second post either didn’t get submitted right or the mods didn’t like it for some reason but b’kitzur since you wanted t see a Torah source on it please see Mishneh Torah hilchot melachim umilchamot the first perek – fourth halacha. I think you will see that the halacha does not work well with a citizenship granting full equal democratic rights.

    And I concede the middle east isn’t a shining light of peace and prosperity but given the current moral atmosphere of America that’s not much of anything we should be emulating these days either.

    Joseph – no I wouldn’t be ok with sanctions like russia got leveled on Israel. Obviously they would hurt somewhat, all I’m saying is they wouldn’t necessarily be as scary as people imagine. Additionally I’ll point out the majority of the sanctions from what I understand were actually leveled against individuals close to putin, not necessarily institutions.

    #1094253
    mw13
    Participant

    assurnet:

    I think your mention of crimea actually strengthens my point rather than refute it. Putin took over crimea and davka didn’t suffer any consequences! The world made very vocal protests, but on a practical level sat by and didn’t actually lift a finger to stop him. The US and Europe did institute several economic sanctions but as you can see from how beligerant Russia continues to be the obviously can’t be defined as “crippling.”

    That’s cause Russia has a much bigger economy and military than Israel does. If Israel tried that, and especially if they denied citizenship to the current residents,the consequences would be much more drastic.

    And no – silicon valley is not always “where the crucial stuff comes from.” Have you noticed how every few months there are headlines about silicon valley firms like Google and Facebook buying up Israeli tech companies like Waze for deals in the tens of millions of dollars?

    The only reason we read those headlines (which don’t actually appear all that often) is because it’s a “Jewish interest” story. For every popular app written in Israel there are thousands written in SV. (Where do you think Google and Facebook got all that money from in the first place?) Ask the average person in America or Europe to name the locations that have produced the most technological breakthroughs, and I doubt Israel would make the top ten.

    And I concede the middle east isn’t a shining light of peace and prosperity but given the current moral atmosphere of America that’s not much of anything we should be emulating these days either.

    Morally, no. But that has absolutely nothing to do with anything.

    Rambam, Hilchos Melachim U’Milchamosayhem, Perek Aleph Halacha Daled:

    ??? ??????? ??? ???? ???? ????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ????? ??? ??????. ????? ?? ???? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?? ???? ???. ??? ?????? ???? ??? ??? ????? ???????. ?? ?? ??? ?? ?? ????? ?? ?? ????. ????? ????? ?? ??? ???? ????? ???? ?????. ???? ???? ???? ???? ?? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??????. ????? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???? ????:

    So it does indeed seem that the Rambam forbids appointing a non-Jew to any position of power. However, in Halacha Gimmel the Rambam says:

    ??? ??????? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ??? ?? ????? ????? ??? ?? ????. ?????? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ????. ?????? ???? ????? ????? ????? ???? ????:

    So it would seem that according to the Rambam, we aren’t allowed to appoint anyone to any public position today. In fact, the argument coud be made that according to this Rambam, one would not be allowed to vote in Israeli elections today.

    #1094254
    tirtza
    Participant

    mw13,

    My “rant” was in response to this exchange,

    tirtza:

    Let the Arabs decide what to do with all their refugees.

    mw13:

    Somehow, I don’t think we’d like whatever decision they would make.

    They are responsible for the refugees if UNWRA folds, as it should.

    You “REALLY” didn’t get what I was talking about?

    Your post appears to be addressing assurnet, not me

    The “Palestinian” narrative was started by the USSR and continues to today, Jews who DO LOVE ISRAEL, The LAND of the JEWS, should do whatever small thing that they can to spread a different narrative. But maybe you think it’s more productive to write about cream cheese???

    #1094255
    mw13
    Participant

    tirtza, not only did I “REALLY” not get what you were saying then, but I still have no clue what you’re talking about now.

    #1094256
    assurnet
    Participant

    mw13 – I think you’re not paying attention to the exact lashon of the Rambam. In halacha gimmel he is only talking about a “melech” whereas in halacha dalet he starts with a melech and then brings as an aside all positions of authority.

    However I will concede a caveat that you didn’t point out which is according to the Rambam, even if we were put aside the discussion of arabs in Yehuda and Shomron for a moment, even Arabs living inside the green line and holding blue teudat zehuts should currently also have their citizenship revoked. I’m sure a ton of liberals would flip out at such an idea but I personally have no problem with it. If we honestly believe in the Torah we claim to follow, why aren’t we willing to have faith in all the pasukim that G-d designated this land solely for us and actually follow through with it?

    In the dor hamidbar the meraglim were afraid to claim this land because of the physical giants. In our generation we’re afraid to because of the “giant” world powers. We have no room to scoff every year when we read shelach lecha because we are no better than they are – thousands of years later and Am Yisrael still can’t internalize that Hashem runs the world – not flesh and blood.

    #1331066
    mw13
    Participant
    #1331099
    mw13
    Participant

    From an (otherwise pretty bad) article by an Aaron David Miller for Politico:

    Perhaps the most refreshing thing about Kushner’s talk occurs at the end, when he concedes the obvious—that this might not work. “So, what do we offer that’s unique? I don’t know,” he says. “I’m sure everyone that’s tried this has been unique in some ways, but again we’re trying to follow very logically. We’re thinking about what the right end state is. And we’re trying to work with the parties very quietly to see if there’s a solution. And there may be no solution, but it’s one of the problem sets that the president asked us to focus on. So we’re going to focus on it and try to come to the right conclusion in the near future.”

    This is exactly right. In the end, reality must be the point of departure. For too many years—and I’ll speak personally here—my own view was based on the illusion that there was a deal, that the parties could make it and that the U.S. could help them deliver it. I haven’t given up hope entirely; but I have abandoned my illusions. The fact is, you need real leadership and commitment by the two sides. Then and only then can America be a key force in peacemaking. My sense is that Kushner realizes that the peace process isn’t ready for prime time, and isn’t quite sure what to do about it. (Neither am I.)

    #1331225
    Avi K
    Participant

    Why does every problem require a solution, at least for the time being? This attitude cost Eisav his birthright. He wanted lentil soup NOW. The ability to delay gratification is a mark of a mature person.

    #1384695
    mw13
    Participant

    Never thought this would happen! From Arutz Sheva:

    Zionist Union chief Avi Gabbay refused to retract his recent statements opposing the eviction of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria in a potential future peace deal with the Palestinian Authority, despite blowback he received from his Labor faction. Gabbay argued instead that Israel would need to find “creative solutions” about what to do with Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria in a future peace deal.

    Speaking with Reshet Bet, Gabbay said that “I believe that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jews. God promised Abraham the entire Land of Israel, but I also believe that since there are 4.5 million Arabs here, we have to compromise in order to create a situation in which we live in our country with a Jewish majority”.

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