I ask a simple question, and you put words in my mouth.
1. “They supported the Nazis all the way up to 1940”. Let’s be dispassionate about this. What form did that support take?
2. “Flirtation with fascism”. Again, substantiate. The Betar corps was trained in fascist Italy, true. Some of the trainees liked what they saw there. But what did Lehi do that constituted “flirtation”?
3. Deir Yassin. “There lies ample evidence that some of those killed were Arab soldiers, but most observers believe that atleast some unarmed civilians were killed” some, some, some. Here are the actual numbers. 200 unarmed civilians safely transported to the Old City of Jerusalem in trucks supplied by the Irgun, who also sent a sound truck to announce that fighting was about to start and offering safe transport. 145 Iraqi irregulars killed, at least one after the battle was over, found disguised as a woman, hiding among women. He pulled out a pistol and fired, causing a general melee in which actual women were killed, unarmed, civilian and everything. 105 unarmed civilians were found killed, mixed among the Iraqi irregulars.
The hyperbole and nonsense that Arabs have spewed since Deir Yassin was largely and in part actively encouraged by Menahem Begin. He believed that it would cause a massive, panicked exodus from Israel, which is exactly what occurred. Neither he, nor anyone else, however, imagined that these war-time emigrants would be confined to refugee camps for three or more generations, or that they would remain so designated throughout post 1967 Israel due to the machinations of Resolution 242 and UNRWA. There is one refugee camp right in Jerusalem. Another, el Arub, is located along Highway 60 near Gush Etzion, and looks astonishingly prosperous.
As for the rest following that of Deir Yassin, I’m not going to accuse you of anti-Semitism, or even deny the allegations. They sound true enough. I carry no brief for Lehi, being more a fan of the Irgun. I will, however, say that your tone is somewhat pompous, and better suited for a lecture hall than an informal forum. Loosen up.
Sorry if I came across as “pompous”. However, you are on the money on the “lecture hall” comment. I have debated these topics with various leftists and I do try to keep a very dispassionate tone while discussing events.
That works well in a scholarly debate but in a lively forum like FR, it sounds boring.
There are many of us friends of Israel in Academia, Politics and Big Business that are there to make sure that anti Semites are exposed and held in check. We are proud of our support of Israel and make sure that we let everyone know of it.
However, we also let people know that we don't support Israel due to some blind loyalty. We make it clear that we support Israel due to its commitment to Freedom, respect of Religion and due Process.
Therefore, whenever we encounter an anomaly in the behavior of the Israeli government that goes counter to the normal behavior of Israel (rare..I agree) we do speak up. And while we are politically on the right, we don't hesitate to show our respect to people like Rabin. He was a good man. I was in tears when he was assassinated. I don't agree with everything that he did but I tell you what, that guy was a shining example of why Israel stands shoulders above the crazies in the Middle East.