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Comment by stoorafa | Hacker News Reader

> Given that designation as a separate state, complaining that they can't vote in Israeli elections is like complaining that Canadians can't vote in US elections.

I don’t remember the US ever occupying Canada.

Not like that at all, and this is a clearly biased take even considering this line on its own.

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Do you recall the US occupying the Philippines? Did they get a vote?

How about Puerto Rico today?

The US is still a democratic republic.

Why is your definition of democratic the valid one?

Mine is, a country is only a real democracy if ALL people it rules over have the same set of rights. Israel isn't a democracy and so isn't the DRC, despite the fact that it has democratic in its name.

USA is not a real democracy either in your definition.

Correct.

I like how these people think the checkmate move is assume the person they’re talking to is a blind supporter of the USA for some reason, and have zero response when they realize that rationally applying the same rules to everybody really does mean Israel doesn’t pass the bar for a democracy.

Where do you get these ideas?

Yes, Filipinos did vote for a territorial government as laid out in the Philippine Organic Act of 1902.

Yes, Puerto Ricans vote. It's a territory. They have their own devolved government.

At no point did Filipinos have the ability to vote for Senators, Congressmen, or the President. Same for Puerto Ricans. US has other territories too, by the way, with the same restrictions.

You have no problem calling the US a democracy, but when the same rules are applied elsewhere you have a problem?

The people of PR voted against becoming a State.

And if they hadn't, would that make the US less of a democratic republic? Not relevant.

Also, see Guam, US Virgin Islands, etc who didn't vote for anything.

It’s incredibly relevant as there has yet to be an election if people in Palestine want to be a part of Israel.

Look, you really like to talk with confidence, but every time you bring up a a point, you pull a whatabout. Have you even looked into what the people you’re so very concerned with want? That’s the most relevant part of all. It’s not your feelings. It’s what the people you say you care about want. It doesn’t appear they want what you want for them, and you’re big mad about that bro.

Keep carrying that white man’s burden.

I actually don’t think the United States is a functioning democracy for what is worth.

Nothing like moving the goal posts, conflating a whole bunch of different issues, and then projecting statements on to me when you’re called out nonsense.

Hope that works out for you.

> > Given that designation as a separate state, complaining that they can't vote in Israeli elections is like complaining that Canadians can't vote in US elections.

> I don’t remember the US ever occupying Canada.

I'm confused by this.

Normally under international law, it is illegal to allow people in occupied territory to vote or otherwise integrate them into civil government.

Israel has even gotten criticized by the UN human rights council for allowing elections in occupied territory (in golan heights, so not Palestinian occupied territory) http://undocs.org/A/HRC/37/L.18

I’m not sure why you’re confused.

An occupying force holding its own elections in an occupied place is indeed illegal (your reference was about Israeli people holding elections in the Golan heights).

Comparing an _occupied_ people’s attempt to hold elections in the occupied place (Palestinian people in Palestine) to two separate non-occupied states (USA and Canada) is nonsense.

Hope that helps.

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