Kraichgauer wrote:
The notion that modern Jews are not descendants of Hebrews but of the Turkic Khazar people is a modern myth promoted by racists and Antisemites of all colors it seems. DNA testing in fact reveals the Jewish population as being almost indistinguishable from Palestinian, Jordanian, Labanese, and Syrian men on the paternal side, while the maternal side shows a European background.
I don't think modern Jewish people come from a Turkic root, or a single root. Of course there was an origin like anything.
Modern genetics and archeology links both Israelites and Lebanese to Canaanites. It also completely debunks the lost tribes theory. Ethiopian Jews are no more the Dan tribe then anything . There is actually pretty clear evidence of the split between Canaanite culture and Jewish culture. The key word is culture. Of course there are Jewish genetic lines, however there are several, and also lateral links. This is not different from Celtic, or countless other cultures.
The bottle necking comes from difficult periods.
Lebanese are not only Canaanite either. The whole nation of single origin is pretty unlikely for any culture. You only have look at modern times, and human nature wipe to floor of that very suggestion.
The reality is there were far more converts to Judaism in the past, the restrictions on conversion came becuase of persecution. The Druze came up with a policy of assimilation for simular reasons.
From the start it was always about culture. Yes there are complicated rules related to bloodline, but that doesn't stop it being a cultural movement. Even if it wasn't there is no moral high-ground in such argument.
So "distinct" is not only strong but pretty inaccurate word to use and is based on junk ideas of how the history of culture and genetic group work in reality. There are no distinct "races', and even when were get to that level of magnification, the use of the word "race" is out of place.
Your counter assertion can can be equally be viewed as bigoted and loaded. Have we not learn't anything from WWII?
The whole argument surrounding race is largely irrelevant, and stupid becuase both groups are predominately but not exclusively caucasian (which doesn't mean "white" scientifically), there are also a closer genetic link than you think especially with Yemenite, Sephardic, Persian Jews, etc. If we are talking about racism rather then bigotry we have to be clear what exactly is being argued.
Divine right, or racial entitlement should never be a factor in any modern international law. Nore should the notion that some group once live somewhere in the past, be a factor. Otherwise any group could claim to relate to other culture the predated the Hebrews. How far are we going to go back? That is not the basis which I recognize Israel. I recognize it as a modern nation. Simple.