We know that pro-Israel does not mean blindly supporting policies
that are irrational, reckless, and counter-productive. Pro-Israel means supporting policies that are consistent
with Israel's interests and promote its survival as a Jewish, democratic state.
You've heard the arguments of the religious and political right-wing, and so have we. They've had their say. Now, we'll have ours.
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Is Peace Possible?
Why do Israelis and many supporters or Israel insist that Israel should be recognized as a Jewish state? Are all of them cynically adopting this position to try to prevent a peace agreement? [An argument coming from the Left, as opposed to the Right]
There is little doubt that the reasons behind the introduction of the “recognition-plus” demand into the political debate were cynical, seeking to create a new obstacle to peace. That said, for many Israelis, the “recognition-plus” demand has taken root not because they are looking for an excuse not to make peace. It has taken root, at least in part, because it taps into two popular Israeli sentiments that relate to peace with their neighbors. One is the longing of Israelis to not simply be tolerated in the Middle East, but to be embraced, in the region and the world, as a legitimate, indigenous nation, consistent with Israel’s founding Zionist narrative of the return of the Jews to their historic homeland. The other is the Israeli anxiety that even after a peace agreement, Palestinians will not be content with a state in the West Bank and Gaza, but will continue fighting to “liberate” all of Palestine, which they believe belongs to them and not Israel.