From: shaig@Think.COM (Shai Guday)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast
Subject: Re: All Arabs are guilty
Date: 5 Jan 1993 15:19:35 GMT
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: merlin.think.com

In article <1483500314@igc.apc.org>, cpr@igc.apc.org (Center for Policy Research) writes:
|> 
|> But as the subject is the question of the relation Zionism-racism, I
|> will only provide one criterion which for me encampsulates more than
|> anything else the affirmation that Zionism is indeed a racist ideology.

First of all, if zionism is a racist ideology, then how do you explain
the case of the Ethiopian jews who are not caucasion? or the Morrocan,
Syrian, or Yemenite jews as well?  If Zionism were a racist ideaology
then these peoples would not have been allowed to enter Israel.

|> As many know, Israel has refused to allow the hundreds of thousands
|> of Palestinian refugees living around Israel's borders and in the
|> occupied territories, to return to their former villages and towns
|> which are located in Israel. In fact it is an understatement to
|> say 'refused' because many refugees, who attempted in early days, that is
|> in the fiftees, to return by night across the border, were just shot
|> dead by Israeli soldiers. They were called "mistanenim" in Hebrew and
|> were not accused of being armed. "Mistanenim" means Infiltrators.

As someone who has a relative that was killed in an attack by mistanenim,
I hope you are aware that the majority of these "infiltrators" were armed.
Numerous examples of armed attacks against civilians are a matter of record.

|> Now, the reason for Israel's adamant refusal to allow these refugees
|> to return home, is that they are not born to a Jewish mother, nor
|> contemplate to convert to Judaism.In fact, this discrimination is
|> even worse than that practiced by the Catholic Inquisition in Spain
|> against Jews. At that time, Jews were given the choice to convert or be
|> expelled from Spain. It was however rather easy to become Catholic
|> and many choose this way to be able to remain in their homes. Israel
|> did not even propose to the Palestinian this way out of exile, since
|> Jews are not keen  dilute their blood with Gentile blood. The Jewish
|> religion places great obstruction for converts, thus ensuring that
|> very few people become Jews.

This is a balatant distortion of a number of things.  Israel does not
allow palestinian refugees to return to Israeli territory.  On occasion,
albeit rarely, such requests are granted in order to allow families to
be united.  There is no religious policy enforcement that requires
one to be Jewish in order to become an Israeli citizen.  A number of
non-Jews I am friendly with are Israeli citizens.  Furthermore, your
attack on Judaism for making conversion difficult is totally misplaced.
I am not observant, however I am educated enough to know that this is
not politically motivated, as your ludicrous posting would tend to suggest.

|> And please dear folks, no name-calling. I will not respond to any
|> but serious correspondents. I am willing to be corrected in my
|> assessment and challenged on facts. But you will have to make
|> serious efforts in substantiation.

Are you aware that under the Palestinian Organization's charter, I would
not be eligible for citizenship although my grandmother was a citizen of
Palestine (british mandate 1910) and both I and my mother were born in
Jerusalem?


|> Elias Davidsson
|> Palestinian born in 1941

-- 
Shai Guday              | Knowing martial arts allows one to remain calm when
OS Software Engineer    | confronted by idiots, secure in the knowledge that
Thinking Machines Corp. | you could dismember them easily, while you calmly
Cambridge, MA           | proceed to dismember them easily.