[Furious Angel]

I just wanna share with you a bit about information about another Hebrew community that lives in Israel.http://welcome.to/samaritan However, this community never left Israel since the destruction of the first temple- The Samaritans. As maybe the bible explorers among you may know, after the falling of the first temple, the United Hebrew Kingdom divided to Kingdom of Israel and Kingdom of Judea.

Kingdom of Israel was compound of 10 Hebrew tribes with Efraim as the leading tribe. Kingdom of Judea, was compound of 3 Hebrew tribes with Judah as the leading tribe. As time pased by, both Hebrew Kingdoms were conquered and many Hebrews were expelled. However, near Samaria- the ancient capital of Efraim, and near the Israeli city Holon, there are still Hebrew communities from the kingdom of Efraim-Samaritans. It's very interesting to watch a community that haven't changed from the time of the first temple, and it's funny to think that once Jews were looking the same.


Samaritan priest.


The Samaritan priests are making sacrifice of a goat, for Passover.


The Samaritans watching at the sacrifice.


A Samaritan holding Tora, wich written in ancient Hebrew.

So, what do you think?

[danholo]

Israel houses very different and interesting sects and religions that are hard to find everywhere else in the world. In Israel, though, they are allowed to practice their religion openly. Several of these are Samaritans, Druze, Baha'i ... and many others.

Something those people against "apartheid" Israel don't know - or refuse to acknlowedge.

[naked_turk]

Quite interesting F_A. I'm going to look this up further.

Danholo... Israel may have citizens of different religious backgrounds, but they do not all have the same rights as Jews. Israel also does not acknowledge Palestinians in the occupied territories as citizens, treating them worse than the Apartheid regime in South Africa treated blacks. Hence, I am against 'Apartheid Israel.'

[danholo]

Quite interesting F_A. I'm going to look this up further.

Danholo... Israel may have citizens of different religious backgrounds, but they do not all have the same rights as Jews.

Fortunately, as Israeli citizens, they do.

Israel also does not acknowledge Palestinians in the occupied territories as citizens,

Because a) Palestinians in the territories don't want to be Israeli citizens b) Why should Israel allow an enemy population who overwhelmingly wants to see Israel destroy as its citizens? Could you give me a rational answer?!

treating them worse than the Apartheid regime in South Africa treated blacks. Hence, I am against 'Apartheid Israel.'

This is the worst crock of bull I've heard. This is also a reason I seldomly visit sites where people support these ridiculous viewpoints.

Israel invaded the territories in self-defense against mounting Arab aggression. Beforehand all Arabs, in every country, and especially Palestinian Arabs want Israel annihilated; wiped off the map. Palestinians committed acts of terror before "occupation" and rampantly after it.

Israel has occasionally attempted to improve the conditions of Palestinians in the territories like moving families from squalid "refugee camps" into real homes. Build them infrastructure like schools, universities, pipelines, hospitals, electricity etc. - Something the previous occupier, Jordan, and who are the Palestinians brethren, refused to do! -Just to find out that these schools preach hate against Israel. I find it ridiculous that hypocrites demand Israel to treat enemies the same way as its own citizens while I find it amazing that Israel has put itself to even that much for the Palestinians in the territories.

When the security situation is worse, their rights decrease, and when its better, they increase. And its not like Israel hasn't attempted to give the territories away in negotiations but after 1993 the Palestinian Authority claimed responsibility of the lives of its citizens and promised to improve their quality of life - instead money given to it went into its corrupt pockets, terrorism and "armed forces". (The PA has the highest amount of "policemen" per capita in the world.)

When you engage in a campaign of terror, you'll experience a backlash when you find out that the other side is willing to fight as well.

Those who accuse Israel of being worse than Apartheid S.A. really have no grasp of reality or have knowledge on facts or the causes and effects of what happens in the Middle East.

I really don't want to bother with you because claiming that Israel is "apartheid" just proves one thing - you know squat.

[Furious Angel]

Quite interesting F_A. I'm going to look this up further.

I am glad that the issue interesting you. I forgot to add that the Europian Jews, and also Jews from Arab world are the Actually only the tribes who lived in Judea: Judah, Benjamin and Levi. Sometimes people can know to wich tribe they're belong by their last name. I'm, by the meaning of my last name and family tradition, should be belong to the tribe of Benjamin- the one from wich once have been chosen the first king of United Israel: Saul(later, tragically he lost his life and was replaced by his friend and student, David, from Judah tribe).

Danholo... Israel may have citizens of different religious backgrounds, but they do not all have the same rights as Jews. Israel also does not acknowledge Palestinians in the occupied territories as citizens, treating them worse than the Apartheid regime in South Africa treated blacks. Hence, I am against 'Apartheid Israel.'

No. They all have civil rights. What about your comparison of Israel to South Africa- I'm tired to repeat myself in every post. Please read:
http://www.politicsforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9080&start=25(fourth post from the top):

This comparison of yours is so unrealistic that it's funny. You can't compare Israel to South Africa- because Israel only don't give citizen rights to the Palestinians(because they don't recognize themselves as Israelis and want an indipendent counry), however Israeli Arabs have the same rights as Israeli Jews. In South Africa, the whites didn't gave rights to a whole sector in their society.

http://www.politicsforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10096(the last post)

QatzelOk, as I said in my other posts, Israel cannot be compared to S-A, from two reasons: 1) Israel give's Israeli Arabs the same civil rights as for Jews: there are Arab members in the Kneset and many Israeli Arabs who surve in IDF. In S-A, from other hand- the whites have oppressed the entire black population- who was a majority.
2) Israel has a problem with foreign population wich it has temporary conquered- Palestinians. The problem is betwin cobquer and conquered- not betwin races. However in S-A the problem was between the whites and blacks who shared the same counry.

One of my closest friends' father was a black South-African freedom fighter and now has his own hi-tech business in S-A- my friend goes to South Africa to visit him every year. And also, my girlfriend's orgins are from Europian-Jewish family in South-Africa as well. They both, along with other South Africans- blacks and whites, will laugh out loud if you'll compare the situation between Palestinian-Authority and Israel in front of them.