Saturday 30 April 2011

Israel is not the only state established for a religion

Is Israel the only state in the world established solely for one religion?  I had that proposition put to me recently.

But of course it is not.  There's Pakistan, and Bangladesh, both established carved out of post-independence India, specifically as homes to Muslims.  Yet noone queries their right to exist.  Then there's Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, the rest of the Middle East, indeed, which are homes for Muslims -- except of course to the "Palestinians" for whom the Arab states give no succour, for that would rob them of the issue on which to attack the hated jews, who have "occupied Palestine", dispossessed its rightful owners, robbed them, created the "apartheid state"; all of which propositions are manifestly false.

The fact that Israel has been horrid to Palestinians does not deny the legitimacy of its statehood: which is valid in international law.  But the animus against her is strong and growing.

The only free, democratic and self-reflecting state in the region, she need support, not support for its would-be genocidal enemies.