General Discussion

I think too that right wing religious sects of Judaism - dare I say Jewish Nationalists, within Israel have had far too much sway in politics, as Christian Nationalism does here. For many years (since 1948) Haredi avoided military service. Even though in 2024 the ISC said they can be conscripted - they still manage to avoid it. Yet even though they believe military service is below them, they have been more than willing to "settle" (steal) - land where Palestinians have lived for generations. Non-violence and "Love of the Torah" then isn't the driving force behind avoiding service. I have no desire for closer ties, integration of defense contracting, intelligence services, etc. We have enough of our own fucked up issues to fix.

NYTimes (10302023): Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/30/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-attack-intelligence.html

I keep coming back to those very detailed and documented warnings that Israeli officials had prior to the Oct 7 attack. Never properly addressed. In all countries, there is a hostility that the right wing religious have for their secular neighbors - to the point of dehumanizing. Maybe holding nonsensical beliefs is contrary to a happy and well adjusted society. I'll just leave it there.