I realise this is a few days old and I actually half agree with you, but I would say the idea that Israel needs to maintain a demographic Jewish majority against an indigenous population is deeply baked even for the Israeli left.
It's been there since the start so this can be no surprise. It's understandable, honestly from the perspective of a very small, very new nation, founded in horrible historical circumstances in a basically hostile environment. That's not to condone it, but it has to be understood. But
it doesn't have to be that way, and there's always been a small but pretty vocal minority of israelis who has believed that.
However, Israel is affected by the same global cultural forces as the rest of us, it's culturally divided already and its past is violent - like (nearly?) all other nation states, it was born in violence. The difference is, we've seen this violence, we're seeing it. It's not that there's little equality between the two sides - we've seen that in other settler states. And it's not about the religion or culture of the main aggressor, though I'll come to that.
Two state solution, end the occupation, stop "behaving badly" can also mean kerp the Arabs out.
Yes, because on both sides (indeed both sides) there is a dangerous (and not that small) minority who simply will not compromise. Two states is a short-term half-solution that satisfies none of those people, but that a more moderate majority on each side will accept with relief. But it's a recipe for instant war because extremists will. Not. Accept it. There can be, and has been, no compromise.
You may regard maintaining a Jewish majority as being separate to the question of the Jewish character of the state. Nobody cares about Anglican majorities in the UK, racist obsessions do not revolve around that; so maybe by drawing that comparison you don't see the Jewish character of the state as being a demographic insistence.
No - in part because 'anglicanism' is a sect, not a religion. If you use the proper comparison with Judaism, which is Christianity, then yes there is absolutely plenty of Christianity in far-right "culture". Fash love Christianity in fact lots of those people definitely consider themselves zionist and explicitly and vocally 'stand with Israel'. Partly out of Biblical urges, but IMO mainly out of islamophobia and racism which easily trumps any lingering antisemitism they might also feel.
And all of this suits the current regime very well, though it does Israel and its people - Jewish, Christian or Muslim - no favours. And in no way is it essential to Christianity, any more than it is to Judaism. Or Islam now I find myself writing out loud.
But also, immigration to Israel continues apace as many who grew up there leave, for - well, nearly anywhere there's not a constant (and very unjustly prosecuted) conflict going on. Demographics in 2024 is a difficult pretext to justify given the mixing there from half the world at this point - but the kinds of people who actually value and talk about
race there are the kinds of people that also consider a secular or ethnically mixed Israeli from Tel Aviv or Haifa or Eilat a kind of degenerate non-jew.
For most people there now I expect it's about perceived security, and maybe also culture. Not race as such. I think in reality 'demographics' in this context just means
who is an observant Jew or identifies as Jewish. Whose grandparents might actually have been from Germany, Russia, Morocco and Yemen.
Ethnically Jewish (even if that really is an actual thing) is less important in Israel with every passing and mixing generation - whereas cultural jewishness probably gets stronger there.
And yet this still is not a reason for any extraordinary finger pointing. What I'm saying is it's the same kind of Culture War there as we have here; indeed I'd say the modern state of Israel has made some exemplary contributions to the hyper-partisan, violent, hypocritical and offensive 'Culture Wars' and their shameless, brutal stupidity.
I do however think most Jewish Israelis see it that way and that is the conversation in Israel and that's in the Peace Now movement not just Likud and the far right.
However, it's not an attitude essential to or representative of Judaism or jewishness. It's an attitude born in and from a particular context, as I've outlined above. Judaism and Jewishness isn't the point and can't be a pretext for extraordinary finger pointing.
I would also say that the current dynamics where the Jewish majority could well turn on the 48 Palestinian minority
...or indeed vice-versa...
highlight the need for some system of quasi determination ir duel power. Near formal equality does not help against that political dynamic as it relies on Jewish Israeli liberal values that can and have dissolved.
Agreed. But again it's not essential to Judaism or jewishness, or Islam or muslimness. Or even Christianity or the identifying thereas, fwiw.
I took a while to respond because I wanted to do so carefully. It's vital not to stray even one inch into anti-semitism, and to be honest where the line is. Then we can know that people who cross it or try to blur it are doing so deliberately. And we know what that is.