Hacker News Reader

Comment by rayiner | Hacker News Reader

That’s not what I’m driving at. My point is that there is a reason Bangladeshis all learn about Israel oppressing Palestine but don’t care about other Bangladeshis being worked to death in the Middle East. There’s a reason that’s the thing that gets people’s attention compared to all the other human rights issues out there.

View on HN

What do you think that reason is?

Maybe whataboutism. Why Bangladeshi whataboutism is supposed to be of interest to us I'm not sure.

Arab countries also use Israel to highlight the disingenuousness of America's supposed concern for human rights. Ironically not having it as an ally might make military interventions in the Arab world easier.

It’s not “whataboutism” to ask what might be motivating people to care about a particular issue thousands of miles away when they don’t pay any attention to human rights issues on their own border.

There is a reason. Maybe this reason is that the "conflict" has been going on for 70 years? Maybe the reason is that the situation is particularly humiliating for Muslims, who saw the West unilaterally decide to install some Europeans in one of Islam's most historic places? Or maybe the reason is that, different from other injustices, this one is brazenly denied both by the perpetrators and by those who should be witnesses? Because an injustice will upset, but there is nothing more enraging than seeing those in power deny the obvious and pretend that the perpetrators are victims.

So there can be many reasons. Why do you choose the one that, once somehow transferred 5500 km from Bangladesh to Palestine (not sure how much they have in common), puts the Palestinians' struggle in the worst possible light?

Most Israelis come from Arab countries(because they were expelled), this is a common myth that Israeli's are "european", there is many from Eastern Europe, and there are many ashkenazi jewish immigrants from the USA, but this is a fraction. And Jerusalem is the holiest place for Jews, and it has been since before Islam existed

What you say is not true:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Israel

yes it is, look at the numbers. 26 percent from europe, 27 percent from "non white" Middle east mainly, would be 28-29 percent but I am not including potential mizrahim from USA/Canada, even though many are probably persian/iraqi origin.

From the article, 2015 numbers:

26.26% Europe

4.64% Americas

10.75% Asia

14.3% Africa

So no, “most Israelis“ don’t come from Arab countries.

Look at it carefully, there is no Middle East Continent, look at the countries in the list... Are you saying Iraq is not an Arab country, Because it is in Asia? No arabs in Morocco because it is in Africa? My point is that Israel is not "European Colonials". Argentinian ladino speaking sephardic jews white? An Iranian-American Jewish family moving to Israel is European? You are nitpicking, and more than half of the population is not 'european', also count in the the druze, bedouin, and christian and muslim arabs that live here, with full rights, political representation, and benefits

edit: Looking at your history "Peace is not possible on occupied land or in an apartheid state." seems like anything I can tell you wont matter because you have already drank the koolaid

Iraq is included in Asia. Asia + Africa = 25.05% which is less than the 30.9% Europe + America. So you were incorrect when you said the majority of Jewish Israeli’s are from Arab nations.

As for your edit, that’s an ad hominem.

You are still wrong.. when most of the jews were kicked out of Arab countries they went to countries all over the world United States, Europe, Argentina/Brasil.. You are not considering any of this and just pulling census 6 year old census data that doesnt describe ethnicity..

from the article: "About 44.9% percent of Israel's Jewish population identify as either Mizrahi or Sephardi, 44.2% identify as Ashkenazi, about 3% as Beta Israel and 7.9% as mixed or other"

This is from 2013, and there has been a lot more mixing since then.

You said the majority of Israeli Jews came from Arab countries. That is factually incorrect.

Your exact comment:

> ” Most Israelis come from Arab countries(because they were expelled)”

Reply on news.ycombinator.com