In Defense: Israel and the Jews

I hear this accusation quite often, and it's usually directed towards Ashkenazi Jews.  Ashkenazi Jews are simply Jews who migrated or were taken against their will to Europe after the Diaspora, which for the Jews began around 70 AD after the destruction of the Second Temple (the Diaspora actually began much earlier, but that was when they began migrating to Europe). Jews have always been an insular people, but they did mix with the local populace once there, likely Europeans who converted to Judaism. That explains why they have a lighter skin tone, but that doesn't make them any less Jewish. It wasn't uncommon even in Biblical days for the twelve tribes to intermix with the local populace. Moses, for example, married a Black Ethiopian/African woman. And Joseph, Jesus' earthly father, had several gentile ancestors in his ancestry. There are many different types of Jews: Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, Sephardi, Ethiopian, etc. All groups share a significant Levantine (ancient Israel...

The Khazarian Theory postulates that a significant portion of European Jews, particularly Ashkenazi Jews, are descended from the Khazars. The Khazars were a semi-nomadic Turkic people who originated from the Central Asian region and migrated to the area north of the Caucasus Mountains, in present-day southern Russia, western Kazakhstan, eastern Ukraine, and parts of the Caucasus. As the story goes, the Khazars converted to Judaism in the 8th or 9th century, possibly for political reasons. The ruling class may have wanted to maintain neutrality between the Muslim Caliphate to the south and the Byzantine Empire to the west. However, other religions were also practiced, including Islam, Christianity, and Tengrism. This continued until the Khazar state declined and then collapsed in the 10th century. No one knows for sure what became of them, but they likely assimilated into neighboring populations. The Khazarian theory suggested they migrated westward and became the Jews we know today. Th...

On June 17, 2010, political analyst and author Jeremy R. Hammond posted an article entitled " Top Ten Myths about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict " in which he attempts to dispel the myths surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a decisively Anti-Israel perspective. Since his article encompasses so many of the arguments and criticisms that are levied against Israel, it's the perfect piece in which to refute those allegations which are routinely used to demonize and delegtimize Israel. Feel free to share without my permission, just give proper credit. #1 – Jews and Arabs have always been in conflict in the region. Claim: Jews and Arabs have not always been in conflict until Zionism. Arab and Jew relations Jews and Arabs have always had a contemptuous relationship.While Jews and Arabs lived in relative peace at various times with Jews, peaceful coexistence meant subordination and degradation. Under Islamic law Jews held dhimmi status, meaning that they...

#8 – God gave the land to the Jews, so the Arabs are the occupiers. Claim: Because the Jews didn't obey God's commandments they forfeit their rights to the land forever according to the Bible. The most important verse, which Hammond left out, is Genesis 17:7-8 which says: "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you" "Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."  (Gen 17:7-8) The covenant that the God of Israel makes with Abraham and his decedents is an "everlasting" covenant, meaning it’s eternal. What needs to be understood is that there are seven "distinct" covenants in the bible, four of which relate to the nation of Israel. Three of those four are unconditional in na...