Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth

Israel is an interesting, misunderstood location. It is not a purely Jewish state, though it is overwhelmingly Jewish. There are people practicing different religions freely in the country. There are also Arabs and other ethnicities living there with full rights.

The region that Israel occupied had been claimed as a Jewish homeland a few thousand years ago. However, for the past few millennia it had been been a backwater province of various empires. The land was less than ideal and was occupied by various people that had primary affinity to their local group. There was no state in the region and almost no regional identity. In the early 1900s, Zionism took root. Jews fled persecution in Europe and moved to the region.  They bought land from the local residents and some set up communal living situations. (They had adopted many of the Russian communist beliefs.)

In the late Britain abandoned the region and the UN proposed two states - one for Jews and one for the others in the region. The Jews agreed to their state. The nearby Arab countries would have nothing of that and refused to accept the Jewish state. They also proceeded to immediately attack to the new country of Israel. The Arabs lost. Much of that land still remains in a state of limbo. It has been controlled by various parties in the region, but has for the most part remained stateless.

Pakistan is an interesting parallel to Israel. It was formed around the same time as Israel. After the formation, there was a significant exodus of non-Muslim residents from their native land. The Hindu population went from well over 13% of the population to just over 0% of the population. Laws have significantly impact on human rights. In Israel, a quarter of the population is non-Jewish, with more human rights.

There remain many groups that seek the annihilation of Jews and Israel. Often these operate under the auspices of "Palestinian rights". They have been able to influence youth to adopt their cause in the name of "human rights" (Even though the endgame would result in loss of rights for many.) They have criticized "apartheid regimes" in the West Bank and refused to allow investment in the region. This has hurt the economy and occupants of those occupied territories, but not impacted Israel. 

The UN has supported multigenerational refugees. Palestinian rulers have been unwilling to follow through on steps for peace. Leaders have often become rich while collecting aid money. Gaza has adopted a form of fundamentalist Sharia law. Neither Egypt nor Israel wants Gaza. However, the area has not done well on self rule. It is still heavily reliant on aid.

The author of this book advocates a liberal pro-Zionism viewpoint. Jews were being attacked. They returned to their homeland and built up a successful state. Would there be such conflict if it were a backwater orthodox theocracy?  Israel has made plenty of mistakes, but it has also been highly successful on the world stage. The country is secular, with respect for different religions.  Orthodox Judaism is actual a challenge in the region. The Orthodox are exempt from military service, rely heavily on welfare and have huge families. Will they dominate the country?  Most of the Jews and Arabs in the region have no problems with each other. However, the extremist, especially those supported by outsiders have created many problems.