protest_the_hero wrote:
Zionism is completely based on racial nationalism. The idea of "God's chosen people" is racism disguised in religion. Without the religious claims behind it, zionism would have no moral justification at all. As far as I'm concerned, zionism has no moral justification at all. I blame the media for all these irrational views imposed on us.
"God's chosen people" is a concept which is misunderstood not only by the majority of people in the world but even the majority of jews in the world.
It is not a proclaimation that jews in any sense of the word are somehow above everyone else in the eyes of God. It is to be taken in the sense that the Israelites were chosen to follow a bunch of rules, while everyone else only had to follow a few.
That being said, the Israelites, and modern jews, were not and are not a race. In fact, the Israelites out of Egypt were a heterogeneous group and "aliens" amongst them were required to follow the same laws as natural born Israelites, and it's likely that these aliens were absorbed into the group.
Modern day zionists may feel more justified in their battle by the promise in the Torah, but that takes a back seat to the current conflict between Israel and Palestine today.
Your average young Israeli is secular, likes going to the movies, going to the beach, hanging out with friends, and shopping. They also hate being blown up and bombed.
Your average young Palestinian would like to go to the movies, would like to go to the beach, and would like to hang out with friends, and also hates being blown up and bombed.
You see in this context the past, and who started what, is actually irrelevant. Most Israelis were born in Israel and Israel is all they know. It's their home. Most Palestinians were born in the same region, it's all they know, and it's also their home. Most of them, Israeli and Palestinian are just unwitting pawns stuck on a battle field having to fight a battle neither of them really would rather not have to fight.