A Crash Course on Israel

[c0de]

A person in my class posted all his notes from the entire year on the net. I was using them to study for my exam tommorow and I thought it might be a good idea to post some of the stuff here, as this topic seems to be pretty hot on this forum.

The following is stuff which is extremely important, but is usually not found in popular narratives in the media. I just copy pasted this stuff while I was reading through the notes:


(Credit goes to: shawn-meikle)

NOTE: The filter is blocking out the word "Shi-te", as in the Muslim sect.. lol


The Story So Far:


Israeli Narrative

• the arabs never accepted us
• despite international recognition of legtimacy
• we offer the arabs some land, they refuse
• they want all the land
• we begin fighting the arabs
• yes we occupied some arab land - but for the sake of peace
• we made the land available for the arabs
• we keep this land as a bargaining chip for negotiation for peace and a security guarentee
• we took back east jureslumn - the city of king david and the weiling wall a memory of the destoryed temple
• violence and terrorism is used against us
• refugees will not be allowed to return to Israel for this will mean the end of the Jewish state
• even if we make peace with the Palestinians and a few arab countries many groups will still refuse to accept us
• look at Iran one atomic blast over Tel Aviv and we are history
• all our olive branches are met with new war and violence
• Israelies will never enjoy a normal life

Arab Narrative

• Jewish presence in Israel is part of the colonial legacy
• like all colonial powers they will one day leave
• arab labour - they use us as slaves
• we extend our hand but we only get more zionism
• our tragedy
• ethnic cleansing
• Abdullah colluded to dispossess palestinian land
• we can not live in other Arab countries they don't want us and our home is Israel
• their right of return (For Jews) means our perpetual homelessness
• the six day war dispossessed us
• the 3rd most holy site was occupied
• the Ramadan war - some call the six day war
• the US cannot be an honest broker - they abandoned us in 77
• the invasion of Lebanon - the Israelies used horrible tactics and perpetrated genocide
• in the intafade we realized the IDF was not super man and could be beaten

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The Race To the Abyss:

• there are many contests in the middle east
• one contest is who can provoke a civil war in a neighboring country first?
• The Israeli demand: "you have to control Hamas" - actually means Fatah must have a civil war with Hamas.
• The Palestinian demand: "you have to leave the occupied territories" -actually means Israel must have a civil war with the settlers

Hezbollah Perfects the Underdog Victory

• 2006 Lebanon war
• Hezbollah is the ****e religious party sponsored by Iran on the Lebanese Border to Israel
• 40 000 missiles are possessed by hezbollah, donated by Iran
• these missiles are a deterent - they deter Israel from bombing any Iranian nuclear facilities
• Hezbollah is composed of proud Lebanese
• Hezbollah perfected asymmetrical warfare
• asymmetrical war it is not guerrilla warfare
• insurgency led to the defeat of the stong by the weak

Hamas mimicks the Hezbollah Strategy

• 60 rockets a day on average began to fall on the neighbor town outside Gaza
• the siege mentality return to the city of Sderot
• in the last 7 years 10 000 rockets have been launched into Israel

When the Truce Expired

• the truce ends, missile strikes increase
• the range of the missiles is increasing - currently the missiles are falling close to the outskirts of Tel Aviv (NOTE: Tel Aviv is the
  Breaking Point")
  
• it is a matter of days before they hit the city

A Stalemate

• with Hamas in Gaza a 2 state solution is impossible
• Hamas has so much world wide recognition that it can not be wiped out like it was in Syria when nobody cared
• so everyone wants to get rid of Hamas, yet there is no way to get rid of Hamas

Four Circles

1. Israel vs. Palestine
2. Fatah vs. Hamas
3. Jews vs. Muslim World (Hamas and Hezbollah)
4. Sunnis vs. ****es

Layer One - Israel vs. Palestine

• there is a race between 2 strategies for dominating the Land of Palestine

1. Attrition until Implosion
2. stagnation through negotiation (paralysis through analysis)

• attrition until implosion is being used by the Palestinians and the ****e coalition
• demographically they are growing their population at a break neck rate
• they refuse to recognize Israel's existence
• Insurgencies are often a matter of grinding down your enemy until he loses cohesion and implodes

• it is not a nuclear showdown that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants, he is a some what rational actor in that sense
• Iran will get rid of Israel demographically, and through grinding it down through seige after seige until it implodes
• lack of recognition is a key part of that strategy
• intractable conflict will merely harden into catastrophe
• Israel has to convince the Arabs to negotiate, it has to do whatever it takes to get a foothold of recognition with its sunni allies
• However, the tides of public opinion war working against Israel
• It is only the leaders of Sunni Arab countries that want to get rid of Hamas not their populations

layer Four - Sunni vs. Sh-ite

• a war by proxy - two coalitions
• side one - Iran, hezbollah, Hamas, and Syria
• side two - Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the PA
• Gaza has little to do with Israel, this war by proxy has to be won before we can even talk about Israel

• Israel is damned if it does and damned it doesn't

• the missiles are not designed to kill
• the missiles are designed to provoke
• which is more rational? - attack or don't attack -it is a social trap with no solution!

• European public opinion is on the side of the Palestinians

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Internal Situation in Israeli Political System

• people have a very low image of the kennest
• if you replaced the kennest with a random city bus load of people the country would be better governed

Inequality

• the distribution of wealth in Israel is not equal
• the ashkenazi enjoy the majority of wealth
• 20% of Israelis are poor
• Israel is poor socially
• the gap between the rich and poor is rising

statistics

• traditional economy, light industry, labour intensive production
• it is now a knowledge economy,
• GDP per capita was 17 K higher than Spain, Portugal and Greece
• average growth was 10 percent annually, despite absorbing immigrants
• 6.2 in 1991, 6.7 in 1992
• GNP is larger than all neighboring countries combined

Resources

• no forests
• no minerals
• arid climate
• economic boycott
• permanent war

Where does all the capital come from?

• massive capital inflows
• German reparations
• human capital
• US subsides
• Successful stabilization economic program that tamed inflation

Jerusalem

• Jerusalem is non liberal
• activism, religion and state power
• collectivism
• solidarity not autonomy
• darwinian nationalism
• messianic bastian
• historical determinism
• utopian social engineering
• security needs of the nation
• land over people
• time is or is not in our favour

Tel Aviv

• individualism
• private life, the community is external
• autonomy
• civic nationalism not darwinian
• now and here, normal life
• identity for the present and future
• democracy and human rights - over security
• people over land

• these divisions do not map on to the political landscape
• there is a glue that binds tel aviv and Jerusalem

• Israeliness is outside of jewishness
• Israeliness and Jewishness became seperated at the level of identity

Consociationalism

• religious autonomy in a dual set of institutions were maintained by Consociationalism
• it is an alternative to a majority rule systems
• according to Consociationalism a majority is not the final straw
• soften the edges of the conflict, pandour to interest groups

1- Status Quo

• the past is also the future
• redlines - kosher, marriage, sabbath, religious institution, and autonomous education
• religious jews said we want that, that is our life
• if you accept it then we will have a status quo
• minimum conditions, not a religious state
• most of Israel does not eat kosher food
  
• main and minimal demands suggested by

• at the beginning of the status quo pubs and cinemas didn't open on fridays
• now there are as many bars open in Jerusaleum as Tel Aviv
• it has changed the other way to
• independence of religious education
• a reflection of changing power that religious and non religious people have

Israel Democracy

• universal human rights
• fair elections
• independent judiciary
• progressive free press
• civilian control over army

Is Israeli democracy consistent with arab minority

• Smooha dismisses the notion that Israel is a conssociational system
• the rules of the game are not accepted by both sides

Israeli Palestinians
​

arab israelies make up 19% of the israeli population
arabs enjoy civil right but cannot enjoy communal acceptance

• there has been no power sharing
• in recent years one minister in the knesset is all the representation arabs recieve
• grievances and demands are largely without a voice

• the identity of Israeli palestinian has become a ticking bomb

• Israeli palestinians are full citizens but arab nationals

• arab income is about 3/4 of Israeli income

• 63% feel more at home in Israel then in arab countries

• in 1988 - 84% of israelies did not perceive arabs in ISrael as Palestinians - rather they were Israelies, or arabs

• after the latest intafada a radicalization of palestinians fermented
• now only 32% of Israeli palestinians feel they could be Israelies today
• 27% of arabs feel comfortable flying an Israeli flag on independence day
• rejectionists have risen in numbers and acommodationsts have declines

• 15% of arab Israelis reject Israelis right to exist in 2001
• 46% reject the jewish nature of Israel

• Israel refuses to admit that the 19% minority of Israeli palestinians have collective rights not just individual rights
• this might lead to calls for succession

arab basketball coach
it is not only they who look down on me
i also look down on myself
everything is better on the jewish side
i know i can be as good as any of them
they have better roads, better schools, better social security and better lives

4 periods of Israeli Legal History

1. 1948-66 - ethnocratic state - emergency rules govern arabs, banning of arabs parties
2. 66-92 - ethnic democracy - PLP case -
3. 92-00 - liberal democracy - Oslo peace process - Rabin - liberalization - Kadam family - right to vote for anybody -
4. 00-06 - ethnic democracy - lose of gains from the 1990's -

Why Can't Power Sharing Work In Israel

• it couldn't work in Belgium

• this is a dilemma, this is not a problem
• problems have solutions, dilemmas do not

• demography is a ticking bomb for Israel
• every response to an attack on Israel on the same day 100 palestinian babies are born

• if palestinians continue to be stateless
• and Jews become a minority due to favorable demographic conditions for the palestinians
• then the label of apartheid will be correct

 

[c0de]

Continued...

Some History

1947 peace plan

unequivocal victory over 5 arab neighbours

• better armed and more man power than the arabs
• during the battle command and control was supririor
• after the june 11 truce the Israelies were supperior

3 - palestinian refugees left of their own free will

• debate over ethnic cleansing vs. the arabs ran away
• new historians - Morris - the most balanced of the three
• the truth lies in between
• the Israelies did not enter the war with the intention of expelling the palestinians
• the precursors to the IDF are guilty of forced expulsions
• no arab leaders ever called the Palestinians to leave
• many palestinians did flee to avoid speculation of massacres
• Israel did encounter many empty villages

Arab and Israeli rejection of Peace

• Israel signed the truce but decided not to sign the treaties
• king abdullah was ready for peace but an advisor told him to wait a few years
• peace proposals were forwarded that acknowledged Israel's existence but Ben Gurion rejected it

• it is hard to accept the view of zionism as a colonial endeveour (i.e. they were probably just pawns themselves, imo)
  

• it is true that jews felt superior to arabs
• superiority was part of the nationalist bag of tricks

• 1948 war leads to the removal of 82% of the population
• palestinian identity has its foundation here

Yom kippur war

• Adler (Our Proffessor) was in a second story apartment in Jerusalem on Yom Kippur and was startled by a parade of cars and sirens as the country mobilized for war, in marked contrast to the traditional narrative of Yom Kippur which is characterized by zero activity, not even a single car, maybe the odd ambulence

• Saddat realized the US would never allow Israel to lose - "if you attack again kissinger says, the US will invade"

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The Peace Plan


Oslo

• building identities through war transitions to building identity through peace
• it failed
• the result was that the primary fuel for constructing identity has been war

Camp David talks

• Israelis: we gave them everything and they said no
• Palestinians: we never came close to being offered a viable palestinian state - (sovereignty over the dome of the rock/ temple rock and the right of return)

• last ditch effort to salvage the peace process -
• the clinton plan
• Israel commits to return 97% of the land and swaps 3% of the negav desert to
• 83% of settlers would remain in tact
• Israeli sovereignty over western wall and Palestinian control over the dome of the rock

(FAIL)
BBC News | MIDDLE EAST | Clinton's Mid-East peace plans

Basically, the two things which Palestinians wanted was control over Jeruselum and the "Right of Return"... Israel was willing to compromise on the first, but will never compromise on the second. Our proffessor has said that as long as the Palestinians keep expecting Israel to compromise on this, there can be no peace.

• after Rabin was killed and the camp david talks broke down
• dynamics changed - religion entered the fray

• Bush changes the rules of international game away from cold war era
• Sharon is thrilled by the new dynamic of US and Israel vs. the Islamist terrorists
• since 2000 palestinians have used bombings to weaken will and enhance bargaining power

• casablanca meeting - Shimon Peres
• it was a disaster
• the arabs saw this as a threat to Egyptian hegemony and an attempt by Israel to gain legitimacy

Recognition is the Only Way forward

• if you don't believe there is room for Israel to exist in any capacity then there can never be peace

• the only conceivable logic is to interpret occupation from a Palestinian perspective is to consider that the whole Israel is occupired territory not just the 67 boundaries
• it took 20, 000 lives to get Hamas out of Syria how many lives could it possibly cost to eliminate Hamas from Gaza

Philadelphia Road

• what is preventing an agreement is that there is no agreement about Philadelphia road
• Philadelphia road is the border area between Egypt and Gaza
• Contains air conditioned tunnels, transporting missiles and ammunition to Hamas
• Hamas wants to keep this border open
• Iran is pushing Hamas to resist any agreement about Philadelphia road
• this is beyond Hamas and Israel
• it is about reshaping the middle east and who has hegemony

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Post Zionist critiques

• those who veer from the norm are post zionist
• they do not want to deconstruct the zionist narratives
• critiques are sharp and severe - more extreame than the new historians

Moshe Zimmermann

• replace Israeli history with a universal history
• he compared the orthodox jews with the nazis
• this drew criticism and law suits

criticisms

• post zionist subverted the dominant narrative
• in so doing they contribute to the de-legtimatization of the israeli state
• they are criticized as bad historians
• their biases influence their choice of sources and facts
• object to the jewish nature of Israel
• they help Israel's enemy
• they slander the pioneers
• post zionism politicized history in Israel

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Iranian Nuclear Crisis: Round One

• through its huge size, wealth, and stability
• the defacto dismantling of the wall that contained Shia Islam
• the wall having been destroyed - iran was in a power projection mode
• round two was arguably the invasion of Gaza to plug the tunnels on Philidelphia Road
• round three will be the decision to accept a Nuclear Iran or bomb its facilities

Iranian Nuclear Crisis

• it is creeping
• the Israelis are serious about attacking
• The saudi's and Egypt will want to develop nuclear weapons to counter the Iranian threat
• Why would sunni arab countries feel more threatened of an Iranian nuclear arsenal than they currently are of an Israeli nuclear arsenal?
• Why would they suddenly clamour for nuclear weapons just because Iran has them.

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Possible Solutions:


#1 One state solution:

• ethnic cleansing
• will be morally the end of Israel
• this will bring about phsyical danger
• normatively it will erode the last shreds of legitimacy the state still has

#2: "Fortress Israel"

• more of the same, deeper not just in quantity but quality as well
• a foreign actor in the Middle east
• high fences
• more compromises of democratic practice
• fortress Israel is a self fulfilling prophecy
• a fortress is always condemned to fall like Masada

#3: Two state solution is the solution to regional peace

• it may diffuse the ticking bomb of Iran
• there is the relationship between solving the palestinian problem and solving the Iranian problem
• the palestinian conflict keeps the flame of antagonism against Israel alive

Create another region

• rethink the Mediterranean
• Arab, European and Israel all share this region
• it used to be conceived as a region
• it new a lot of cooperation
• this was the cradle of roman civilization

Meditarrian Identity Construction Process

• set up an institution to coordinate cooperation betwen Arabs, Israelies, and Europeans
• European Mediterranian Partnershiop - November 1995 - EMP
• EMP was a multilateral
• 27 countries and 700 million people were part of it
• palestinian authority had a seat

• in a broader context Israel and arabs could cooperation - regions could develop

• currently it is still an empty idea

For any true Jewish Liberal Democratic State:

• equality is a prerequisite
• this will make israel more inclusive and normalize relations with the global community
• the palestinians need to have a place
• driven by self determination by the jewish people
• a normative status in jewish identity

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Conclusion (..?)


Tragedies

• tragedies can be resolved in one of two ways

1. Shakespeare
2. Chekhov

• at the end of a Shakespearean tragedy the stage is strewn with dead bodies and an air of justice hoovers high above the stage
• at the end of a Chkhovian tragedy the cast is left disillusioned, shattered, heart broken, disappointed but alive

"Israel is being turned into a spartan society permantently vigilant and up in arms"


Story of Yuri

• eulogy for his son
• killed in the last hours of the lebanon war
• proud of the army and proud of his son
• in the year 2003 he wrote a novel about a women who runs away from bad news
• she leaves her home to escape from the IDF padres who are the bearers of bad news
• who have come to tell her that her son has died

Aharon Meged

• Zionism is propelled by latent biological urge to self distruct

Anita Shapira

• zionism is still of vital importance
• the arabs wanted peace before the war of independence
• the debate, post zionism, is not about the past but the future

The tragedy of the jewish state

• A culture of catastrophic zionism and paranoia
• the tragedy of the jewish people, a cult of violence, persisting with 70% of the population willing to give away all the land if only they could believe there was a partner on the other side
• it is not complete paranoia , real enemies exist

• war creates states
• war consolidates identity
• war is a factory of identities

european legacies

• the conflict is driven by colonialism

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Some Questions:

• when identities are mutually constitutive if one identity changes itself does it necessarily changes the other?

• if both sides, by agreement, are unable to change their identities is it possible for one side to unilaterally withdraw?

• how can this Mediterranean identity be coupled with the realigning of the balance of power in the middle east

 

[c0de]

p.s. Its a long post, and for those who actually read through it, you might want a soundtrack runnin in the background... So I thought of two, (depending on your outlook):


(if you're an optimist) "A Change Is Gonna Come" - Sam Cooke

(If your *cough* sane) Buffalo Springfield - For What Its Worth

 

[nativeastral]

p.s. Its a long post, and for those who actually read through it, you might want a soundtrack runnin in the background... So I thought of two, (depending on your outlook):


(if you're an optimist) "A Change Is Gonna Come" - Sam Cooke

(If your *cough* sane) Buffalo Springfield - For What Its Worth

phew c0de you deserve a seat..somewhere for that

 

[c0de]

phew c0de you deserve a seat..somewhere for that

I'll take this guy's:

 

[citizenzen]

Can you boil it down for me?

 

[c0de]

Can you boil it down for me?

yea sure, here u go:

 

[Avi]

C0de, calling Zionism evil is wrong, in my view. This issue has come up in several threads now.

In short, my view is that Zionism is a movement that started in Europe, in the late 19th Century. It was about finding a homeland for Jews in the diaspora (the diaspora started with the fall of the First Temple when the Jews were exiled to Babylon, around 586 BCE).

Is that evil ?

I am not blindly supporting all of Israel's actions. Some are wrong. But I think that calling Zionism evil is wrong as well. Rhetoric on both sides does not help a bad situation.

Especially in an interfaith environment, I believe it is important that we re-examine our own foundational beliefs.

 

[shawn]

A basic truth about our world is that there are people of all cultures and religions who sincerely wish to be in charge.
They want to dominate.
Such persons use religions as a tool to achieve these ends.
They are not like the average good people in these religions who are kind and compassionate and reasonable.
Religions are seen as a tool to gain them what they want, a means to an end.
Such persons come from all religious and ethnic groups.
So then it is reasonable to talk about a zionist conspiracy and also a christian conspiracy and an islamic conspiracy, etc, as within each of these groups are to be found these devious persons who have evil designs and hide within the structure of the religion as these religious structures have many built in features which allow such parasites to blend in and remain secure.
Some religions provide better cover than do others.
How to identify them is somewhat of a difficult task.

 

[Avi]

So then it is reasonable to talk about a zionist conspiracy and also a christian conspiracy and an islamic conspiracy, etc

Shawn, I agree with this observation.

I think it will turn out that there are moderate folks of all faiths, who when they learn that they can cooperate will provide a great example for the people of the Middle East.

 

[shawn]

That is the best thing about Interfaith dialogue as it gives the good people of all faiths a bridge where we can see that we really are all One and these racial and religious differences are petty and stupid.
We as a species cannot afford to indulge in the ignorant schisms which divide us that has occupied us all for millenia.

 

[Tao_Equus]

So then it is reasonable to talk about a zionist conspiracy and also a christian conspiracy and an islamic conspiracy, etc,.

Shawn, I agree with this observation.

I think it will turn out that there are moderate folks of all faiths, who when they learn that they can cooperate will provide a great example for the people of the Middle East.

And I disagree. I do not believe for one moment that those that call the shots in our ruling elites have any religious belief what so ever. Religion is for the masses not for leaders, except for exploitation. The leaders of Christian, Islamic and Jewish state are in firm collusion to foment the differences for the plebiscite. Hatred and distrust is carefully planned and executed. And since all these religions were designed from the outset for just that purpose, have a perfect history of playing to the leaders plans, it is incumbent on any free thinking rational human being to reject not just the leadership but the false religions too. For as long as they exist the leaders will use them as they have.

 

[Avi]

And I disagree. I do not believe for one moment that those that call the shots in our ruling elites have any religious belief what so ever.

Ha ha, so every single politician is a hypocrit ? Not even one sincere one in the group ? I love it. I am still an Obama fan though. I have to give him at least a year

Religion is for the masses not for leaders, except for exploitation.
The leaders of Christian, Islamic and Jewish state are in firm collusion to foment the differences for the plebiscite. Hatred and distrust is carefully planned and executed.

I think you are combining atheism and socialism here Socialism is pretty good for some things. I could envision a good socialist medical system and retirement plan. But these days it is not too popular in the US. Are Socialist ideas doing better in Europe ?

And since all these religions were designed from the outset for just that purpose, have a perfect history of playing to the leaders plans, it is incumbent on any free thinking rational human being to reject not just the leadership but the false religions too. For as long as they exist the leaders will use them as they have.

These ideas are great !! Please explain what you mean by "false religions" ? Are there any true ones or they are all false ? I believe that religions best contributions are of ethical and moral nature. They have actually provided a lot of good ideas for Western civilization in this respect (I suspect for Eastern civilization as well, but I am not sure about this).

By the way, you didn't say who your favorite atheists are ???

 

[nativeastral]

because of the atrocities post WWII concessions/pro-an Israeli state went to the other extreme without much regard for the indigenous palestinians there at the time, who were wary and antagonistic/stubborn of all things western anyways; and so 'secular' zionism flourished and developed without much input nor real understanding at the time [since lets face it western capitalism was only interested in, well, capital [oil wells].
The acrimony is deep, the deaths many, and yes politics is nasty double dealing on all sides.
There is a truism in saying the abused becomes the abuser, we have all witnessed that but how can this be erased from this particular so called holy spot?
Nothing seems to have changed much as the area is still betwixt and between egypt/syria/saudia etc who have their own interests/allies.
Meanwhile we look on helplessly viewing more carnage from the comfort of our tv lounges.
Hopefully the up and coming younger politicians in that area have more compassion to spread around to apply to the current situation?

 

[shawn]

And I disagree. I do not believe for one moment that those that call the shots in our ruling elites have any religious belief what so ever. Religion is for the masses not for leaders, except for exploitation. The leaders of Christian, Islamic and Jewish state are in firm collusion to foment the differences for the plebiscite. Hatred and distrust is carefully planned and executed. And since all these religions were designed from the outset for just that purpose, have a perfect history of playing to the leaders plans, it is incumbent on any free thinking rational human being to reject not just the leadership but the false religions too. For as long as they exist the leaders will use them as they have.

Ya didn't even read my post....did ya?

So then it is reasonable to talk about a zionist conspiracy and also a christian conspiracy and an islamic conspiracy, etc, as within each of these groups are to be found these devious persons who have evil designs and hide within the structure of the religion as these religious structures have many built in features which allow such parasites to blend in and remain secure.
Some religions provide better cover than do others.
How to identify them is somewhat of a difficult task.

Or do you just want to argue with avi?

 

[c0de]

C0de, calling Zionism evil is wrong, in my view.

(LOL)

Dude the poster was a joke..... clearly, no one actually read the opening posts, cuz you obviously missed this part highlighted in Blue:

it is hard to accept the view of Zionism as a colonial endeavor...

Zionism, imo, was a tool used by outside powers. It is not inherently evil, like many think.

The notes I chose offer both sides of the perspective. If you follow the link you can read all of them yourself which show the course details further perspectives (sephardim, zionist, ashkenazi, russian jews, arabs, palestinians, etc. etc. etc.)

 

[Avi]

Got me again

 

[c0de]

yep, thats how I roll