Steve: I made no assertion whatsoever about whether the Biblical promises to the Jewish people of the land of Israel have any validity or not. These are matters of faith. But you discount that many Jews are believers in their Torah, and do believe the land of Israel was given to them by God. Hardly a "land grab." Your own opinions of "superstition" while you are certainly entitled to them, do not reflect the beliefs of religious Jews and these beliefs did not begin with 19th century Zionists. Why do you single out Israel, a theocratic democracy, while you are silent about dozens of other theocracies which are monarchies or brutal dictatorships? You have a double-standard when it comes to Israel.

Your anti-Zionist diatribe is largly out of context. Yes there were some small groups of fanatical zionists who put forth some preposterous notions. They were not the mainstream voices and did not prevail in the formation of the modern State of Israel. Many discussions happened and to pick a few lines out of context is the heart of disengenuosity. The early Zionists in the first part of the 20th century moved onto land they purchased from willing sellers. They did not displace Arabs from their homeland. In 1948, the mayor of Haifa, at great personal risk, drove through Arab neighborhoods with a bullhorn and begged the Arab population to stay and help build the new state of Israel. He was not the only one.

The vast majority of Arab migration to Israel occurred as Arabs from all the neighboring countries immigrated to Israel for the new jobs in industry and agriculture the new Jewish state created. Most are NOT indigenous Palestinians.

Where is your ire for Jordan, which has a 60% Palestinian population controlled by a Monarch who is a member of the minority group? Why don't you call for Palestinian rights in Jordan?

Daniel-san: Which people practice "honor" killings of women? Which people do not allow another religion to be practised other than Islam? Which people outlaw gay and lesbian practices? Which people have a strictly state-controlled media? Which people preach in their mosques every Friday to kill the Jews? Which people have called for every Jew to be driven from the West Bank and Gaza contrary to Israel wich has 15 recognized religions allowed free practice and has a 20% Arabic/Muslim population? Which people have a leader who was elected 7 years ago to a five year term? Which group has repeatedly called "to drive the Jews into the sea"? Which people have been unsuccessful in dismantling terrorist infrastructures which sabotage every effort at a negotiated peace? Which people have regular free elections? Which people support women's rights? Which people are surrounded by 23 Arab/Muslim countries (who pass one UN resolution after another condeming Israel) of which only two have peace treaties with Israel and the rest still publically call for the destruction of the ONLY Jewish state in the world? Which people have cynical adults strapping bombs on their own teenagers and sending them to their deaths as mass murderers of civilians?Daniel-san--you present a one-sided critique which is not rooted in the historical context that the Jewish people are still engaged in a struggle for their very existance.