To protest at the words "Jewish" and "Israeli" being used interchangeabley.

YANBU and being Jewish is not synonymous with being religious. People often misunderstand the cultural associations with being Jewish. It does not mean that you are kosher, go to synagogue every Saturday and cover your head.

I used to be open about my views in real life but received some uncomfortable responses. I have been verbally attacked by a handful of religious Jews but I have also received anti-Semitic abuse for even sharing that I am Jewish, as if I am responsible for the actions of the Israeli government just by being born to a Jewish woman!

In these online debates, I always say that I am a human, first and foremost.

"People who seek to challenge Israel's right to self-defence are challenging the Jewish right to a safe place."

I'm Jewish. I believe that Jews (and everyone, really, but as this statement was about Jews..) have a right to a safe place. This does not mean that I have to condone the actions of the Israeli government. Israel is not a person with thoughts and feelings, Israel is - in basic terms - a piece of land. Yes, this piece of land has religious connotations for religious Jews but as I said above, not every Jew has these religious beliefs.

YANBU.
I have a work colleague who constantly uses the word Jew when referring to Israelis, although he does seem to grasp that not all Jews are Israelis. As a team at work we've tried to explain the difference but falls on deaf ears. We're often shocked by his ignorance, he's avvery well educated psychiatrist.

TTWK I totally agree. I'm Jewish. I am not Israeli. I am appalled at the deaths in Palestine and the blockades. I am appalled at Hamas. A religious state is never going to work. I have been to Israel once. Never again. It certainly didn't feel like anywhere I could call home or would want to. Zionism feels very uncomfortable to me. Yes there is anti-semitism in the UK but thankfully I have very rarely been on the receiving end. I know plenty of people who wear a star of david, Yarmulkes and other markers of their faith. My family have been grateful to the UK and happy to call it home. The hideous bombings in Palestine have done nothing for Jewish PR over here or anywhere else. The whole situation in Gaza is hideous. No one can live in peace. It's a total mess sadly.

infact

Abhorring 500 children getting their limbs blown off last summer while criticising the Israeli government does not equate to anti Semitism - infant it's getting boring now. wineisfine

Wineisfine, you are entitled to your views, but so are others, including many Jews, who hold a different view. Many people, Jews included, do not believe in religious states, be it an Islamic Republic or a Jewish State. They believe states should be secular, and should serve the interests of all its citizens, and not just the majority. Just as the Muslims in Iran who oppose their government are not anti Islamic, the Jews who criticise Israel are not anti Semitic.

Many Jews believe the best interests of Jews across the word are not best served by Zionism and its aims. You may not agree with them, but to label them self haters or anti Semitic because they disagree with you is disingenuous.

Or is your muddled point that Israel should not be criticized in its horrendous treatment of and frequent large-scale murder within an entire population while it steals their land but by bit, because... what... there is some prejudice and mistreatment of Jews elsewhere in the world?

That is, in your opinion, the words Jew and Israeli should be used interchangeably despite the fact that many Israelis are not Jews and vice versa?

So you think OP is BU?

I meant outside not praise- typing too fast

No, I mean Jews- because this thread ignores the role Israel plays in keeping Jews safe when we are persecuted pretty much everywhere else. Anti-semitism in this county is rapidly on the increase, a hue number of French Jews have moved to Israel in light of recent attacks and this will continue. A strong Israel is the only guarantee we have had of survival in 2,000 years. The praise world hasn't been kind to us and every time we dare to think we've been 'accepted' it ends in a pogrom etc. People who seek to challenge Israel's right to self-defence are challenging the Jewish right to a safe place. So yes, I meant Jews (NOT Israelis). Although it is wonderful that Muslims and Christians also live in Israel.

Israelis are victims of terrorism too, did you know the are shelters in children's playgrounds because so any rockets are fired from the Gaza Strip? Do you know just how common it is for Israelis to be run over on purpose by Palestinians? You are seeing this as very one sides and not taking into account the terror Israelis deal with everyday. There is a frightening lack of historical knowledge on these threads, as carol decker has highlighted.
So many references to operation protective edge but Israel accepts so many terror attacks without retaliating and the kidnapping and murder of three teenagers was just a step too far. If your son were kidnapped, how would you feel? The Palestinians know what they are doing but have proven time and again that they're hatred for Jews and the Jewish right to live in peace overrides there own stability and wellbeing. They would rather see a dead Israeli than feed their own people.

I expect somebody will come onto this thread soon to call Gaza a 'concentration' camp or something along those lines, use of holocaust terminology is a favourite technique of 'anti-Zionists' to silence Jews and try to put is back in their place. Again, a concerning lack of historical knowledge as it simply cannot be compared to what happened during the holocaust and Israeli seems to be the only state to suffer the use of holocaust terminology to describe it's actions.

There may be famous Jewish anti-Zionists (self-haters) but most, if not all, people I know have a strong support for Israel and views like the ones expressed on here just push is further to Israel. My DD2 attends a Jewish school with a Zionist ethos and school trips to Israel, would I ever discourage? Would any of the parents? No! Our children need to know they have a safe place.

Nobody on this thread except for carol decker seems concerned by the deaths of Jews.

Threads like these confuse me.
I watch the news, I try to educate myself about this conflict by reading about it on different mediums.
I still don't understand it.
I really feel for the victims of war on both sides.
The documentary on TV about a month ago about the conflict was heartbreaking.

YANBU OP.

"Why is there so much sympathy for the people of Gaza?"

I can't quite believe I read that correctly. I'll hide this thread now, because I'm another one that can't bear apologists for child murderers.

Op, out of curiosity, what proportion of the Israeli government is Jewish?

I personally hate Zionists for what they are doing to the Palestinians but Jews are entirely another matter. In fact some of the strongest fighters against Zionism are Jewish.

here is a UN agency complaining about Hamas rockets in schools.

again stored in schools.

Again you do not challeng the desire for all jews to die, not just Israelis, but all.

Why no support for Jews?

All this chat about everyone wanting Jews killed etc.... All we ever see are the bodies of Palestinian children blown apart by Israeli bombs... An inconvenient truth that most Zionists chose to ignore!

Leaving this thread, can't bear apologists for child murderers!

Gaza was Egyptian until the 6 day war, the Egyptians started this. With an avowed intent to destroy every Jew.
This was 1967, just 20 years after the end of the Holocaust. Of course the Israelis should have apologised, moved back into the ghettos and let the egyptian muslims decide their fate.
Again, Israel can move back to the pre-1967 borders, but it would not make any difference to all their neighbours wanting them dead and would make no difference to what is going on, except more jews would die.
This is obviously the desire from a lot of people on this thread as no-one has challenged this.

One of the good things about these threads is that they remind me to donate money to the Palestinian solidarity campaign.

OP, it was a Jewish friend who first educated me about the awful situation of the Palestinians, so I must concur with you in your uncoupling of 'Israeli' and 'Jewish'. And also, of course, 'sympathetic towards the Palestinians' and 'anti-Semitic'.