Profoundly disagree…..

Thanks to the creation of Israel, the ethnic-based theocracy that continues to exclude, occupy and disenfranchise the local population, the region is now becoming more fundamentalist (Islamic and Judeo) with each passing year – not less.

You simply have to understand that Israel by its very creation set back, perhaps permanently, secular nationalism between the Jordan and the Mediterrannean… Palestine was a plurocratic, urbanised commercial centre with a long history of secularism and liberalism before the creation of Israel, but that Zionism torpedoed any hope of tolerance – because in and of itself, it was an intolerant phenomenon. Worse still, it was intolerant to those in whose land it was an all-too-recent interloper…

You obviously don’t understand the political and social currents of the region, or its history. Hamas is an entirely party – and its success is as solely a result of the murderous presence of Israel.

As I said before, Israel had 30 years to deal with Palestinian secular nationalists, and it chose war, occupation and colonisation.

Sadly, the whole region is reaping what they have sowed.

Yes and no. In the long-term, there’s no justification for Israel to remain a Jewish state, we agree.

In the short term, Israel being a Jewish state seems to be the option with the best shot of producing a secular liberal-democratic state in Palestine in the long run.

Once honor killing isn’t an issue in Arab Israeli communities, and you can hold a gay pride parade in the West Bank without fear, then I’ll be open to the proposition that it’s time for Israel to stop being an explicitly Jewish state.

NY Times Article

I agree that secularism would be a healthy prescription for the Middle East – for Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Saudi and Palestine – but let’s not forget that baseless religious silliness is used as daily justification for the daily imprisonment, disenfranchisement and colonisation of millions of Palestinians….

If we remove religion from politics – which I’m very much for – then we also remove the justification for Israel.

Wow…. result all round.

I agree that secularism would be a healthy prescription for the Middle East – for Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Saudi and Palestine – but let’s not forget that baseless religious silliness is used as daily justification for the daily imprisonment, disenfranchisement and colonisation of millions of Palestinians….

If we remove religion from politics – which I’m very much for – then we also remove the justification for Israel.

Wow…. result all round.

I agree that secularism would be a healthy prescription for the Middle East – for Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Saudi and Palestine – but let’s not forget that baseless religious silliness is used as daily justification for the daily imprisonment, disenfranchisement and colonisation of millions of Palestinians….

If we remove religion from politics – which I’m very much for – then we also remove the justification for Israel.

Wow…. result all round.

I agree that secularism would be a healthy prescription for the Middle East – for Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Saudi and Palestine – but let’s not forget that baseless religious silliness is used as daily justification for the daily imprisonment, disenfranchisement and colonisation of millions of Palestinians….

If we remove religion from politics – which I’m very much for – then we also remove the justification for Israel.

Wow…. result all round.

I agree that secularism would be a healthy prescription for the Middle East – for Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Saudi and Palestine – but let’s not forget that baseless religious silliness is used as daily justification for the daily imprisonment, disenfranchisement and colonisation of millions of Palestinians….

If we remove religion from politics – which I’m very much for – then we also remove the justification for Israel.

Wow…. result all round.