Quote:
Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski
The problem is that there is both Jewish religion and Jewish nationality.
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Little OT, but I'd like to differ.
IMO there is no Jewish nation only the Jewish religion. There isn't even a Jewish race. For millions of Jews the only common bond is faith*. In that sense it is not different to Catholicism.
There is however the modern State of Israel. The story behind it might however disqualify it as a "nation state". It is a recent artificial entity, which in part is the root cause behind many of its problems.
Only a hundred years ago there was a Palestinian "nation", a cultural entity living in a geographic area called Palestine. It never became a modern nation state, because it was absorbed in the creation of Israel, and it was in our Western eyes transformed to little more than a "minorities" issue.
From a purely academic point of view I don't know why one should not be allowed to discuss the validity of the modern state of Israel or right of it to exist within its current borders. But from a practical point of view I understand all the difficulties that come with it, ranging from legal to social.
Back to the subject, as there was no State of Israel in 1940, there was(were) no Israeli(s) in the Battle of Britain, but if you must it is a Palestinian of Jewish faith.
Now for a small disclaimer. Having written the above is not the same as being anti-semitic nor denying the right of Jews to live in peace, which is a natural right for all humans. But I admit that it does mean that I put question marks beside the current State of Israel, its borders and its policies towards the Palestinians.
We should never forget the Holocaust, but we should not accept blank cheques based on that remembrance (and perhaps even a sense of guilt).
*well, you might add that for millions of Jews the common bond is being American (and) or Israeli