If 25% of the Israelis are not Jewish. How can we call it the Jewish state?

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mark

Israel is the last colonial rule in the world . There are another 35% native people who live in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel or Palestine will never be a Jewish state. There may be a Jewish rule for a while but history tell us Jewish rule will all ways be temporarily.

dandyl

It often makes people uncomfortable to refer to Israel as ā€the Jewish Stateā€¯ because it suggests a theocracy and, therefore, the demise of Israel as a Jewish state is viewed by some people (even in Israel) as a positive development. Israel is not a theocracy; however, it is governed by the rule of law as drafted by a democratically elected parliament. It is informed by Jewish values and adheres to many Jewish religious customs (such as holidays), but this is similar to the United States and other nations that are shaped by the Judeo-Christian heritage and also have expressly religious elements (e.g., church-state separation in the U.S. does not preclude the recognition of Christmas as a holiday).

Israel has no state religion, and all faiths enjoy freedom of worship, yet it is attacked for its Jewish character, whereas the Arab states that all have Islam as their official religion are regarded as legitimate.

The Jewish people are a nation with a shared origin, religion, culture, language, and history. And why shouldnā€™t the Jewish people have a state? No one suggests that Arabs are not entitled to a nation (and they have not one, but twenty-one) of their own or Swedes or Germans, or that Catholics are not entitled to a state (Vatican City) headed by a theocrat (the Pope). To suggest that Zionism, the nationalist movement of the Jewish people, is the only form of nationalism that is illegitimate is pure bigotry. It is especially ironic that the Jewish nation should be challenged given that Jewish statehood preceded the emergence of most modern nation-states by thousands of years.

It is also not unusual that one community should be the majority within a nation and seek to maintain that status. In fact, this is true in nearly every country in the world. Moreover, societies usually reflect the cultural identity of the majority. India and Pakistan were established at the same time as Israel through a violent partition, but no one believes these nations are illegitimate because one is predominantly Hindu and the other has a Muslim majority, or that these nations shouldnā€™t be influenced by those communities (e.g., that cows in India should not be treated as sacred).

In the United States, a vigorous debate persists over the boundaries between church and state. Similar discussions regarding ā€synagogue and stateā€¯ are ongoing in Israel, with philosophical disagreements over whether Israel can be a Jewish and a democratic state, and practical arguments over Sabbath observance, marriage and divorce laws, and budgets for religious institutions. Nevertheless, most Jews take for granted that Israel is, and must remain, a Jewish state. Arab citizens also understand that Israel is a Jewish state and, while they might prefer that it was not, they have still chosen to live there (nothing prevents Arabs from moving to any of the 180-odd non-Jewish states in the world). Both Jews and Arabs realize that if Jews cease to be a majority in Israel, Israel will no longer have a Jewish character or serve as a haven for persecuted Jews, and that is one of the elements underlying peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Johnny Rockets

that 25% doesnt even belong there in the first place

Snerdly Hussein Snerdly

Actually, I think the number is 39%

harajuku lover

because it is the jewish homeland and was given back to the jews after the Holocaust for them the return to the homeland. it's a secular state but it's called a jewish state. can you give me a link to those statistics please?

Religion and State in Israel

Great to see so much discussion going on!

For anyone who wants to read more about all the issues of religion and state in Israel, I recommend checking out this site:

Religion and State in Israel

http://religionandstateinisrael.blogspot.com/

It's the only site out there that reviews the media coverage on all these issues every week.

MrDuell

I did not know that. What nationality are those 25% then?

HopelessZ00

15% of that 25% (Non-Jewish) has already left Israel. Soon it will be a Jewish State. Anyway Israel only cares about it's own. Having the other 25% live there is just to show face and say they are multicultural. lol..Cheers!

75% is still majority.

vansemmanuel JPA

Because Jews makeup over fifty percent of the Israeli population and when a group makes up over fifty percent of the population, they are considered a majority. The United States from population is a Christian country but by values and ways of government, it's secular. Same with Israel, there is a Jewish majority but it's a secular government, well at least that's what ben gurion(founder of the modern Israel) made it out to be.

Because that is how it was established. There are ethnic as well as religious Jews. There are Arabs (ethnically). There are Christians (religiously). There are atheist ethnic Jews etc., etc., etc. Now, what does "not Jewish" mean? Israel was established as a Jewish State by U.N. mandate. Right or wrong, the make-up of its population doesn't make any difference.

Peace in our time

Because for the last 60 years, the other 75% have built up the country including the other 25%'s infrastructure and economy. If it weren't for the Jews, the country would still be a desert. What percentage of that 25% serves in the IDF. Maybe 10%.

Is math a new thing for you? That's still three to one.

perfectlybaked

You are correct. Many are European in ethnicity and Jewish only by conversion.

I don't think there is any truly religious state, because ethnicity and religion should not be melded together.

zinca

because unlike the arab world, jews can handle the subtlety. israel is a jewish state with full civil rights for all, whatever their religion.

the arab world is officially muslim and discriminates (and even persecutes) non-muslims.

but jews are smarter. we can have a jewish state, and still give the muslims living there full civil rights.

just like there are non-americans living legally in america with full civil rights.

Rob

Cause it was founded by Jews and was given to the Jews by god and the majority are Jewish.

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