Even those who criticize Israel may, in fact, be committed to its existence and survival. Some of its policies are, in my opinion, clearly not in its own best interest. The Gaza pullout is a good step–although the cynical side of me sees it as a PR ploy of Sharon’s so he can get traction in the West. (I’ll be more convinced when Israel stops expanding its settlements in the West Bank.)

J. is raising a bigger question than the current pullout, though: what are we, as Mormons, to think of the state of Israel? Like him, I find the knee-jerk reaction among members to support Israel (or U.S.-Israel policy) highly problematic. There has to be a way to distinguish between a proper (Mormon) understanding of the gathering of Israel and the current political incarnation of the Israeli state. Perhaps this thread will help articulate that distinction.

Fiorentino: I don’t doubt that some critics of Israel support its existence. Nothing in J. Stapley’s post, however, suggests that he’s one of those. Rather, he says, among other things: 1) the concept of a Jewish state is “disconcerting” and Farrakhanesque; 2) he can’t imagine a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and so 3) maybe it’s time that we “reconsider our perceptions of the contemporary State of Israel.” All of this after explaining why Mormons shouldn’t necessarily be inclined to support modern Israel. Is he not suggesting that we give up on the Jewish state?

Quick note: I have read numerous times that the current majority jewish population of Isreal is made up of refugees from the Arab world. The Arab governments forced them out over the last 50 years.

So the jews are refugeees to? “I will trade you the arabs who lived in Isreal prior to 1948 for the jews that lived in Arab countries.”

Do you find a majority Muslim and majority Arab state disconcerting like you do a Jewish state?