Israel or Palestine? Who do u support??

@BohemianBabe to my understanding, Israel is the only democracy in the middle east. It is a representative parliamentary democracy.

@samueltyler2 I don't really think an apartheid country can be considered democratic. Maybe it could back when apartheid was the norm, America was democratic for its time, even though you couldn't vote unless you were a land-owning white man. But in the modern world, I can't see Israel as a Democracy when Palestinians aren't allowed to vote.

@BohemianBabe if a "Palestinian" is an Israeli citizen, their vote is counted the same. But, I do admit to not being able to define those Palestinians. There is equality between the Jews in Israel and the non-Jews, aka Stabs, in terms of voting rights and membership parliament. It isn't a perfect situation but any means. But what are the voting rights in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, etc?

@samueltyler2
Sure, but that's like saying Nazi Germany made exceptions when it came to citizenship for certain Jews. It was still an apartheid society where the vast majority of Jews weren't allowed citizenship.


I don't consider those countries to be democratic either.

@BohemianBabe wow, you are so totally wrong it is almost beyond belief. The Jews were pretty well assimilated into German society before the Nazis came into power. But after, they last all rights, not just to vote, but to do business, and eventually to live!

@samueltyler2 Yes, and it's the same for the Palestinians in Israel. Some Palestinians have citizenship, just like there were exceptions made for some Jews in Nazi Germany. But in both cases, the exceptions were exceptions, not the rule.
It was the same thing in America. There were some free black people who owned black slaves. But the overall system was still White Supremacy, it was still a form of apartheid because the exceptions don't change that.

@BohemianBabe you throw words around to make your point but use them incorrectly. I give up.

@samueltyler2 What word did I use incorrectly?
You're saying a system where people don't have equal rights before the law, based on ancestry or ethnicity, is not an apartheid?

@BohemianBabe look up the words you throw around.

@samueltyler2 Good answer. 🙄

@BohemianBabe So how do you feel about Americans not being allowed to vote in the Canadian and Mexican elections?

@robb65 Americans can get citizenship in those countries if they live there. Palestinians who were born in Gaza or the West Bank can't get citizenship because of their ancestry.

@BohemianBabe there are several Palestinian political parties that hold seats in the Israeli Knesset . Lots of Palestinians vote in Israel elections .

@AthrillatheHunt That's only the Palestinians that were born in Israel but outside of Gaza or the West Bank. It's a common divide and conquer strategy, especially common in countries where the targeted group is an especially big minority. For example, there were so many Jews in Nazi Germany that the Nazis couldn't realistically imprison everyone with Jewish ancestry. So if a German was half or less Jewish, they were exempt. But again, those exceptions did not negate the fact that it was an apartheid society.

@BohemianBabe yes exactly. Palestinians have political parties and vote in Israeli elections .

@AthrillatheHunt But those Palestinians are the exception, not the rule. The majority of Palestinians aren't allowed to have citizenship, vote, or serve in government.

@BohemianBabe they represent a big enough percentage of their population to be referred to as a minority , not an exception . A minority of all Palestinians vote in Israeli elections .

@AthrillatheHunt So if America didn't allow black people from New York or California to vote in presidential elections, that would be ok? Or would that be a form of apartheid?

Also, saying "A minority of all Palestinians vote in Israeli elections" is misleading. The issues isn't that a minority of Palestinians vote, it's that a minority of Palestinians are eligible to vote. And it's based on where they were born and what their ancestry is.

@BohemianBabe Gaza isn't part of Israel. They can have their own elections, if not it's their problem, not Israels. Take it up with Hamas.

@BohemianBabe I think it’s very gracious of Israel to allow Palestinians to be citizens and vote . I hope they can figure out a peaceful solution. I think that’s what we all hope for. Maybe I’m just naive.

@AthrillatheHunt So if America didn't allow black people from New York or California to vote, but the rest of the black population was allowed to vote, that would be gracious?

@robb65 Gaza is part of Israel in that the Israeli government controls that land.