Netanyahu's UN speech was that of a Jew, not an Israeli

[TomClash]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1119389.html

Benjamin Netanyahu's address at the United Nations General Assembly last month was the speech of a proud Jew and not that of a liberal and sober Israeli. It was the speech of a victim reopening the wounds in order to again stir support, and not the speech of a brave and daring Israeli striving to solve the largest threat to the future of Israel and its citizens - a speech in which the drama was reserved for a reference to the tragedies of the past and not to processes that stir hope for the future. It was a speech that moved Netanyahu's supporters abroad and among the Israeli right wing and made them stand tall, and contributed nothing to dealing with the dangerous rift between us and our neighbors.

<snip>

Is it not obvious that the attempt to replace negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians with an interreligious conflict between Jews and Muslims is the cherished goal of the extremist enemies of peace on both sides?

Therefore it seems the demand for recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is an ostensibly sophisticated distraction on the part of a veteran peace rejectionist.

Furthermore, is there a single Muslim anymore who today could recognize a Jewish state that occupies a Muslim population? Recognize a Jewish state where a group of law-breaking Jewish extremists leads the elected government by the nose, in order to expand the borders of the country, against the wishes of most of the population in the country and the world?

Can the Palestinians be expected to recognize a country where the right-wing leaders in the government announce every morning that the battle of the settlements is the continuation of the War of Independence, that Israel is still a country in formation with no constitution and no borders?

more . . .

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. not all Jews support Israel as a state

[TomClash]

2. Yes, that is well-known

The article makes a different point.

[Ken Burch]

3. Good article. Weird headline.

I'd have said "Netanyahu's UN speech was that of a warmonger, not a peacemaker".

Most of the Jewish people I know would be disgusted by it.

[TomClash]

5. I think the headline was meant to be provocative

and designed for an Israeli audience.

[Ken Burch]

4. This paragraph from that article should ALSO be quoted in the thread:

"Can the Palestinians be expected to recognize a country where the right-wing leaders in the government announce every morning that the battle of the settlements is the continuation of the War of Independence, that Israel is still a country in formation with no constitution and no borders?"

[IndianaGreen]

6. The speech was Bibi's version of post-Civil War's 'waiving the bloody shirt'

and has shades of Mark Anthony waving Ceasar's bloody garments to incite the mob against Brutus and Cassius.