Sarkozy: No Such thing as a 'Jewish State'

Sarkozy: No Such thing as a ‘Jewish State’

'a state is neither Jewish nor Catholic.'

Middle East • 10/26/11 9:58:01 am • Views: 1,102

French President Nicolas Sarkozy says that ‘a Jewish state has no meaning because a state is neither Jewish nor Catholic.’

He made the same remark several times this week in interviews on two Jewish radio stations and with a French news agency following the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, whose parents are French citizens.

Sarkozy earlier this month said on another occasion that Israel cannot be defined as Jewish no more than ‘this table is Catholic.’ He was raised as a Roman Catholic but his grandfather was Jewish.

You will note that he didn’t have the guts to say a state could not be an Islamic State.

UPDATE:

Sorry I forgot the link. It was an accident.

unitedwithisrael.org

Recent Pages by Buck (Buck):
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16 comments

SanFranciscoZionist Wed, Oct 26, 2011 10:09:46am

What's the source?

Bob Levin Wed, Oct 26, 2011 10:13:20am

Pot, kettle. The French identity is as much, if not more a part of the French culture, and therefore France--as is the Jewish identity, as a culture, to Jews and Israel.

Bob Levin Wed, Oct 26, 2011 10:15:47am

Arutz Sheva? Arutz Sheva? Duuuuude.

Bob Levin Wed, Oct 26, 2011 10:16:22am

The Israeli papers are on a roll today.

Charles Johnson Wed, Oct 26, 2011 10:23:10am

Sarkozy has a pretty damned good record of support for Israel, I'd say, especially compared to his predecessors.

Why do I have the feeling something's being left out of this report?

Obdicut Wed, Oct 26, 2011 10:42:29am

This is the source, I think.

[Link: www.israelnationalnews.com...]

It's a little awkwardly translated. A little context:

Asked about a “Jewish state,” Sarkozy replied, “A Jewish state – I don’t know what that means. Speaking of a state of the Jewish people is already more interesting."

"A Jewish state has no meaning because a state is neither Jewish nor Catholic.”

Sounds like he's just saying that a state can't be a follower of a religion, but it can be a state of a certain people, in this case, the Jewish people. So, assuming 'interesting' is a positive attribute, he's saying that Israel is the state of the Jewish people.

Doesn't seem that terrible a comment to me. Israel has a lot of secular Jews in it who are every bit as much Jewish as the religious ones-- if they're not, someone should tell them so they can leave and, I dunno, start another Jewish homeland.

Obdicut Wed, Oct 26, 2011 11:15:45am

Ugh. And I see Arutz Sheva has a link to an ex-gay place. Lovely.

Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton Wed, Oct 26, 2011 12:28:40pm

A Jewish state – I don’t know what that means. Speaking of a state of the Jewish people is already more interesting

Exactly.

Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton Wed, Oct 26, 2011 12:42:57pm

The phrase "Jewish state" is very ambiguous. It can mean at least two things. First of all, a religious state, like, say, Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state. Buck seems to accept this, since he thinks Islamic is an apt analogy. However, Israel is a largely secular state, and a largely religious state (theocracy) is not compatible with democracy. I would dare say that no religious states should exist.

The second meaning is the state where the Jewish ethnic group forms the ethnic basis of this state, regardless of whether they follow Judaism. Thus it is a state like a typical European democratic nation-state, where there is a main ethnic group giving the name to the country and the cultural, immigration and other policies reflect this fact (but minorities (usually) have all the same rights). Israel fits this definition.

So, clarifying this ambiguity is always welcome.

Buck Wed, Oct 26, 2011 2:35:12pm

UPDATE:

Sorry I forgot the link. It was an accident.

[Link: unitedwithisrael.org...]

I would ad this to the post, but although the edit screen comes up, the post or save button is below the bottom of the screen and I can't get to it. (Chrome updated to 15 today... maybe that is the problem)

wrenchwench Wed, Oct 26, 2011 2:41:28pm

re: #10 Buck

UPDATE:

Sorry I forgot the link. It was an accident.

[Link: unitedwithisrael.org...]

I would ad this to the post, but although the edit screen comes up, the post or save button is below the bottom of the screen and I can't get to it. (Chrome updated to 15 today... maybe that is the problem)

You can "grab" the lower right corner of the posting box, just like with the comment box, and shrink it until the "Save Changes" button appears on your screen.

Buck Wed, Oct 26, 2011 2:49:40pm

re: #11 wrenchwench

You can "grab" the lower right corner of the posting box, just like with the comment box, and shrink it until the "Save Changes" button appears on your screen.

Ya, I tried that, and it didn't work.

Buck Wed, Oct 26, 2011 4:20:58pm

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu insists that Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

Now we can fiddle with the words and meaning. A state for Jews is not what Netanyahu means or wants. If it was he would say so.

Why is Sarkozy saying that ‘a Jewish state has no meaning'?

Because he doesn't understand why it is important. Is France French? Of course. If anyone said otherwise they would be laughed at.

Is Israel a Jewish State? Yes, and for anyone who understands the history of a people who have not had a state to call their own for a thousand years.... anything else would be laughable.

Buck Wed, Oct 26, 2011 4:26:41pm

Updated with the link. I zoomed the page to 57% and could then see the buttons on the bottom.

Bob Levin Wed, Oct 26, 2011 4:41:57pm

re: #12 Buck

I have Windows, I have to click on 'view', and go full screen. Then, you've got to figure out how to get out of full screen. For me, Esc didn't work, somehow I've managed to do it.

Bob Levin Wed, Oct 26, 2011 4:42:43pm

re: #14 Buck

I think I'll try that instead.

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