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Originally Posted by Red Slinger
^ In a real liberal democracy you have all sorts of voices including those that may be extreme and even crazy. That's the rub with a true democracy. You can't just silence voices that you disagree with. Otherwise, it's no longer a democracy. There are members of the Tea Party in the US that aren't far off this level of crazy BTW. This doesn't represent Israel, the Israeli people NOR Israeli policy. The irony is that many, if not most, of the extreme Israeli right-wingers, Zionists and illegal settlers are Americans.
Israel is no hero in this debacle. Their are a lot of right-wingers and even extreme right-wingers that are given voice because of the parliamentary system they have in place, as mentioned. This often leads to issues like illegal settlements which do nothing but inflame the situation. However, the policy of the government of Israel has NEVER been to eradicate the Palestinians. Compare that with the policy of the the elected Hamas government in Gaza who's charter is anchored around the destruction of Israel. Peace is a non-starter as long as Hamas is around.
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Here's the thing though, it's not an equal comparison. One side has suffered tangible loss, whether it be land, resources, or whatever. The other side lives a much more comfortable life. Obviously, the side that has lost something will have more extreme views regarding the other side. This is why you don't see the neighboring Arab nations calling for Israel's destruction, they haven't been directly impacted. Here is what ISRAEL'S first PM, David Ben-Gurion said,
"Why should the Arabs make peace? If I was an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have taken their country. Sure God promised it to us, but what does that matter to them? Our God is not theirs. We come from Israel, but two thousand years ago, and what is that to them? There has been antisemitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They only see one thing: we have come here and stolen their country. Why should they accept that?" The Jewish Paradox : A personal memoir (1978)