I‘ve been noticing something lately. Among atheists they no longer refer to the state of Israel as Israel. It’s “Palestine.” This is among people, scholars even, who know better.
Now, it may be that they being atheists, they perceive Israel as being a country with an official religion. That I guess is understandable. Jewish law does prevail in that country. On the other hand numerous declarations from the Knesset proclaim the secular nature of Israel.
Most atheists are liberal/progressive. On the other hand, there are a good number of atheists who are Libertarian/Republican. There is a tendency for Xtian Nationalists to shoe-horn atheists into the liberal/progressive category, even though there are an equal amount who agree with them on at least some economic and social issues.
Why support “Palestine?” Allegedly, Israel has stolen all their land; is a European “Colony;” is practicing “apartheid;” is committing “genocide” against “Palestinians.” Let’s take these issues one at a time.
- The name Palestine was given to the region by the Roman Empire which imposed the name on what was then Judea after Rome defeated the Jews in 70 CE.
- The name Palestinian was not adopted by the Arab peoples living in Israel until after the Six Day War of 1967. Prior to that they called themselves Arabs. This was a propaganda move and nothing else.
- All of the land of Israel settled by Jews was purchased (at exorbitant prices) from wealthy Arabic land owners. In fact, not one square centimeter of land was acquired militarily until after the Six Day War of 1967 (those lands being the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula. Of those, only the Golan Heights remains in Israeli hands. The Sinai was returned to Egypt, and the Gaza Strip was gifted to the “Palestinians,” with all Jews being expelled. Judea/Samaria (aka, The West Bank) had been a paid for part of Israel prior to the War of Independence in 1948, when Jordan annexed it. In 1967 those lands were liberated from Jordan and returned to their rightful owners, namely, Israel.
- Jews an indigenous to Israel. So to accuse Israel of being a European Colony is an absurd falsehood. There have always been Jews living in Israel, even though at times there were very few. Furthermore, the vast majority of Jews now living in Israel migrated there from countries in the Middle East.
- Apartheid. This is the stupidest accusation of all of them. In fact it a revised definition of that word to fit this narrative. In countries where apartheid is in force, the persecuted population must live in certain segregated areas; they are forbidden from inter marriage with the dominant population; they are forbidden from taking part in certain careers, such as doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers etc.; they are not allowed to hold office in government; they are not allowed to vote. None of these things apply to Arabic people identifying as “Palestinian.” “Palestinians” can marry Jews. They can live where ever they wish (subject to the same restrictions as anyone else), they can work as doctors, nurses, lawyers. They have the right to vote. Many serve in government, including the Knesset. There are even “Palestinian” Judges serving on the Supreme Court. In fact, unless they have denied themselves Israeli citizenship, the only things on the list they are denied is the right to vote or to serve in government.
- Genocide. If this is true, the Israelis are doing a terrible job with it. The “Palestinian” population has been growing by leaps and bounds, practically doubling every five years. The “Palestinian” birth rate is rivaled only by the birth rate of Mizrahi Jews, who like the former, multiply like rabbits. If Genocide were a fact, pregnant Arab women would not have access to needed health care, yet no Israeli hospital has ever turned an Arab woman away. Never.
These lies have been repeated so often now that no one bothers to investigate the truth. On the other hand, the Israelis have not exactly done all that much to discourage these conclusions. The presence of security check points and the confusing and, frankly, retarded governance of Judea/Samaria makes it look like apartheid at least, is alive and well. On another hand, I don’t know what else Israel can do to quell terrorism in Judea/Samaria. They are kind of between the rock and the hard place. Damn if they do and damn if they don’t.
We can see first hand, what a “Palestinian” controlled government looks like when we look a Gaza. Women have few, if any rights. They cannot not obtain birth control, they cannot obtain an abortion, they have little to no opportunities for an education (even as young girls). LGBTQ “Palestinians” are out right murdered; usually thrown from the tops of buildings; when found out. Children as young as five or six are drafted into the Hamas militia. Women and children (even infants) are used as human shields by Hamas terrorists. Military installations are located very close to, or sometimes within, hospitals, Mosques and schools. How can anyone, especially self-identified progressives, support that?
So why do atheists, so-called progressives, white supremacists, and right wing authoritarians engage in this subtle (or maybe not so much) anti-Semitism?
It is either A: They are totally deceived; or B: they just hate Jews.
