Oddbean

Thank you for answering me with so much detail. The answer to my second question was especially good; I understand the situations for the Palestinians born in various areas now. As for the first question, it’s funny, because the one person I have ever asked the question, “Well, where should they go, then?” to (before you) was an American Jewish woman who is a progressive Democrat, “anti-racist,” etc. (She is someone I know IRL.) She told me, somewhat tersely, that the Palestinians should go to Jordan. She said the Jordanians had offered to have them. She seemed too upset to explain further, so I dropped it.

@Cousin_Martha_Corey Yeah, I think that woman has a pretty bad take, and it is hard that many otherwise progressive people have a wrong-headed and harmful view about Israel/Palestine. To try to be charitable to her, I think these conversations are especially difficult to have outside of Israel without knowing and trusting the person. So often - in fact, on this very thread, though I've blocked all the relevant posts - people's expressions of solidarity for the Palestinians are just ways of signaling coded antisemitism. So I wonder if her guard was raised because she was worried you were antisemitic? I don't know though, that's a complete guess, I don't know how well you know this person. It is a real shame, and it makes this issue such a landmine. Israel is an apartheid state, but its also true that antisemitism exists, and Israeli institutions are interested in trying to conflate criticism of the former with the latter. We obviously shouldn't conflate them, but we also shouldn't pretend that antisemitism doesn't exist (not saying you were!!!).

I understand. Worry about antisemitism is a good guess, and some of the replies in this thread are alarming, too say the least. The woman I mentioned is someone I know pretty well, and I don’t think she thinks I am antisemitic. I’m a liberal, too. (Well, she’s “progressive,” and I’m “liberal,” but it’s close enough for this purpose.) The worst thing about me, from her perspective, is probably that I’m an atheist, but she knows that’s not the same as being antisemitic. I think maybe the reason she feels insecure is that being so pro-Israel is the one way she is out of step with U.S. (“woke”) progressives, a group that she very much wants to part of.