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Professional health policy guy, amateur medical history nerd. I've also got severe hemophilia A, so hmu if you ever need help managing nosebleeds
The whole reason that lots of people believed a state was necessary was *because* assimilationist diaspora politics could not guarantee Jewish safety. So I think this "deservedness" concept is somewhat downstream. (You're right to take it back to this original source for this line of reasoning.)
November 6, 2025 at 8:13 AM
The whole reason that lots of people believed a state was necessary was *because* assimilationist diaspora politics could not guarantee Jewish safety. So I think this "deservedness" concept is somewhat downstream. (You're right to take it back to this original source for this line of reasoning.)
To bring it around to your initial post, "deservedness" and "security" are somewhat overlapping ideas in earlier eras. Why is simply living on the land in a majority-Muslim country insufficient? It's more complicated than this, but one answer given at that time was that Jews would not be safe there.
November 6, 2025 at 8:05 AM
To bring it around to your initial post, "deservedness" and "security" are somewhat overlapping ideas in earlier eras. Why is simply living on the land in a majority-Muslim country insufficient? It's more complicated than this, but one answer given at that time was that Jews would not be safe there.
My answer was "that's almost irrelevant, because the practical possibilities for establishing and maintaining one depend on logics that have very little to do with universal moral claims and everything to do with the application of violence from both parties." I think we're in agreement on that.
November 6, 2025 at 7:58 AM
My answer was "that's almost irrelevant, because the practical possibilities for establishing and maintaining one depend on logics that have very little to do with universal moral claims and everything to do with the application of violence from both parties." I think we're in agreement on that.
I mean, I agree with all of this; it also seems at right angles to the original question, which was "is there a moral claim for a majority-Jewish state."
November 6, 2025 at 7:57 AM
I mean, I agree with all of this; it also seems at right angles to the original question, which was "is there a moral claim for a majority-Jewish state."
Personal answer: you'd need to convincingly represent the prospect that their attempts at preemptive ethnic cleansing would be met with an overthrow of the current government and occupation by an international peacekeeping force. This doesn't seem likely (to put it mildly) and Israel realizes that.
November 6, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Personal answer: you'd need to convincingly represent the prospect that their attempts at preemptive ethnic cleansing would be met with an overthrow of the current government and occupation by an international peacekeeping force. This doesn't seem likely (to put it mildly) and Israel realizes that.
I'm not sure I see a meaningful difference between my second reason and yours? "They're all Arabs" ignores the moral claim that the people currently living on the land have a specific right to self-determination. Denying that is just a politer way of assigning them to the barbarian side of that line
November 6, 2025 at 7:46 AM
I'm not sure I see a meaningful difference between my second reason and yours? "They're all Arabs" ignores the moral claim that the people currently living on the land have a specific right to self-determination. Denying that is just a politer way of assigning them to the barbarian side of that line
I also just have never found the "we have the wolf by its ear" theory of justice all that persuasive. Yes, I realize the Israelis think this way; whether we want to bless that logic is another question.
November 6, 2025 at 7:36 AM
I also just have never found the "we have the wolf by its ear" theory of justice all that persuasive. Yes, I realize the Israelis think this way; whether we want to bless that logic is another question.
Sure, but you also see strains of "this land belongs to us by divine right," "the barbarians previously living here are unworthy of national self-determination," and "this land neatly interrupts any contiguous border, thus undermining the prospect of a future Palestinian state."
November 6, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Sure, but you also see strains of "this land belongs to us by divine right," "the barbarians previously living here are unworthy of national self-determination," and "this land neatly interrupts any contiguous border, thus undermining the prospect of a future Palestinian state."
Put another way- the question "Do Jews, more than other peoples, need a special state refuge in which they enjoy a privileged position..." that you posed is premised on a liberal rights formula. But all the acts required to carve out such a refuge practically require you to set aside that formula!
November 6, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Put another way- the question "Do Jews, more than other peoples, need a special state refuge in which they enjoy a privileged position..." that you posed is premised on a liberal rights formula. But all the acts required to carve out such a refuge practically require you to set aside that formula!
Sure- which is why Israel has so totally replaced that hypothetical you posed with the one that we're talking about. The old logics of civilized/barbarian dichotomy, promised lands, etc. are the actual justifications for both projects, so it's not clear to me that this is severable at all.
November 6, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Sure- which is why Israel has so totally replaced that hypothetical you posed with the one that we're talking about. The old logics of civilized/barbarian dichotomy, promised lands, etc. are the actual justifications for both projects, so it's not clear to me that this is severable at all.
If we're not going by prior occupancy, the moral standard for why any given parcel of land should be assigned to any given population seems quite arbitrary to me. Why does the national interest of Jews justify the expulsion of THIS Palestinian family but not that one? Why not neither, or both?
November 6, 2025 at 7:14 AM
If we're not going by prior occupancy, the moral standard for why any given parcel of land should be assigned to any given population seems quite arbitrary to me. Why does the national interest of Jews justify the expulsion of THIS Palestinian family but not that one? Why not neither, or both?
I think the problem with this line is that in many ways the justification for settlements is *of a piece* with what came before them (this disfavored minority deserves this land, regardless of the preferences of the people currently occupying it, so expulsion by force is justified).
November 6, 2025 at 7:08 AM
I think the problem with this line is that in many ways the justification for settlements is *of a piece* with what came before them (this disfavored minority deserves this land, regardless of the preferences of the people currently occupying it, so expulsion by force is justified).
Yeah, in practice the 1967 borders are likely the best you can hope for. FWIW, over half a million Israelis are occupying lands outside of those borders and Israel is deeply committed to finishing this colonial project, so even winning that resolution likely requires sustained international pressure
November 6, 2025 at 6:53 AM
Yeah, in practice the 1967 borders are likely the best you can hope for. FWIW, over half a million Israelis are occupying lands outside of those borders and Israel is deeply committed to finishing this colonial project, so even winning that resolution likely requires sustained international pressure
West Bank, although I think you can make the case that the '47 partition also has some of these deficiencies (the huge # of Arabs who would have to be displaced in order to establish those borders and the Israelis' repeatedly stated ambitions to continue expanding their borders after partition).
November 6, 2025 at 6:42 AM
West Bank, although I think you can make the case that the '47 partition also has some of these deficiencies (the huge # of Arabs who would have to be displaced in order to establish those borders and the Israelis' repeatedly stated ambitions to continue expanding their borders after partition).
I mean, settlements have grown and expanded in the last decade as well! And the actual intolerable situation (living under an occupying military force that can dispossess or oppress you with impunity) is also an important through-line here.
November 6, 2025 at 6:35 AM
I mean, settlements have grown and expanded in the last decade as well! And the actual intolerable situation (living under an occupying military force that can dispossess or oppress you with impunity) is also an important through-line here.
and then ask if those people would support even a fraction of those measures to end the ongoing settlement and occupation of the West Bank. That's really the corollary to the occupation, not just any nation with some degree of disfavored religion.
November 6, 2025 at 6:31 AM
and then ask if those people would support even a fraction of those measures to end the ongoing settlement and occupation of the West Bank. That's really the corollary to the occupation, not just any nation with some degree of disfavored religion.
Who said anything about "vastly favorable positions for members of hegemonic religions?" This is about colonialism and the acquisition of territory through war. Look at how some people (rightfully) talk about the lengths we ought to go to in order to ensure no Ukrainian territory is ceded to Russia,
November 6, 2025 at 6:29 AM
Who said anything about "vastly favorable positions for members of hegemonic religions?" This is about colonialism and the acquisition of territory through war. Look at how some people (rightfully) talk about the lengths we ought to go to in order to ensure no Ukrainian territory is ceded to Russia,
The other thing that's hard about writing this beat is we only see it through a scanner darkly. Until someone leaks a group chat, all we can do is look at whatever dumb shit Nate Silver is yapping about on any given week and extrapolate.
October 31, 2025 at 3:50 AM
The other thing that's hard about writing this beat is we only see it through a scanner darkly. Until someone leaks a group chat, all we can do is look at whatever dumb shit Nate Silver is yapping about on any given week and extrapolate.
The back half of the piece has some of that with that long Andreessen quote. Now, I think Andreessen is lying there (or at least a bit deluded), but it does give a good glimpse of the way these guys are thinking about workers at their firms.
October 31, 2025 at 3:47 AM
The back half of the piece has some of that with that long Andreessen quote. Now, I think Andreessen is lying there (or at least a bit deluded), but it does give a good glimpse of the way these guys are thinking about workers at their firms.
I don't think it's comprehensive, but John Ganz has been pretty good at chronicling the revolt of the bosses over the past few years. www.unpopularfront.news/p/the-emergi... and www.unpopularfront.news/p/what-happe... are two worthwhile pieces in his work on this topic.
What Happened Here
It's Very Simple Dialectics
www.unpopularfront.news
October 31, 2025 at 3:34 AM
I don't think it's comprehensive, but John Ganz has been pretty good at chronicling the revolt of the bosses over the past few years. www.unpopularfront.news/p/the-emergi... and www.unpopularfront.news/p/what-happe... are two worthwhile pieces in his work on this topic.
I like the cosmic horror that the hour count does not change. Years from now, the ending of the game will still be just 3 days away
October 28, 2025 at 6:14 AM
I like the cosmic horror that the hour count does not change. Years from now, the ending of the game will still be just 3 days away