President Joe Biden, who has pledged support for Israel amid the country’s ongoing war with Hamas that has left more than 37,000 Palestinians dead, claimed in a recent interview that he’s “the guy that did more for the Palestinian community than anybody.”
The president also defended his support for the Israel — his administration approved a bill to provide $26 billion in additional wartime aid to the country in April — and called himself a Zionist. “If there weren’t an Israel, every Jew in the world would be at risk,” said Biden. “And so there’s a need for it to be strong.” He added, “By the way, I’m the guy that did more for the Palestinian community than anybody. I’m the guy that opened up all the assets. I’m the guy that made sure that – I got the Egyptians to open the border to let goods through, medicine, and food,” Biden said. “I have been very supportive of the Palestinians, but Hamas, they’re a bunch of thugs.”
Does this make sense to anyone else? I can’t logically connect the existence of Israel to the safety of Jews everywhere. Does he think if Israel existed in the 1930s the Holocaust wouldn’t have happened? Why?
It likely would’ve been a lot less severe at the very least. As many as 300’000 German jews were waiting for US visas at the dawn of WW2. Immigration restrictions meant that the vast majority of them would be unable to flee the Nazi regime.
There are infamous tales of ships such as the M.S St. Louis or SS. Drottningholm each carrying hundreds of refugees being forced to return across the Atlantic.
That’s not to dunk on the US. They were the single largest recipient of refugees (almost 100k). Next after was British Mandatory Palestine (60k) and then the UK itself (40k).
The fact of the matter is that millions of jews wanted to flee the oncoming storm, but noone would have them, and rather than be sheltered by their communities, protected, they were turned over to be slaughtered.
Even in the aftermath of the war, many of the home countries of concentration camp survivors refused to take them back. Jews now under communist regime would end up being subjected to further persecution.
I’ll highlight something else. The past decade has seen a shocking resurgence of antisemitism in Europe, and contributed to a significant exodus that started in the early 2010s. At least where I live, the jewish community is all but gone, and I myself probably wouldn’t remain if I wasn’t fine with hiding my jewish heritage.
Thanks for a really great answer
Far more went to Palestine according to even the israeli sources. From 84k in 1922 , to 449k in 1939 and after that a million colonists or so every 10 years.
Ultimately it would not solve much as the majority of Hitlers victims were not Jews but Slavs. So now we’d have to find a home for those 20 million Eastern European people as well so Hitler wouldn’t Genocide them. Move everyone in that Hitler didn’t like to colonize Africa or the Middle east and Genocide the natives there. All problems solved as long as you don’t consider brown and black people as humans and steal their land. Sprinkle some irony on top.
Israel is literally the least safe place in the world for “Jews” right now. Jews are perfectly safe in America and Europe.
Your source lines up rather well with the knowledge that I based this on - some 60k refugees into the Mandate '36-'39. After the end of the war it was mostly survivors after the holocaust and later on refugees from various regions such as the middle-east and the USSR/Russia, both of which persecute(d) and have huge problems with antisemitism to this day.
Won’t elaborate on other persecuted peoples since the OP asked about Israel and jews specifically, but there’s certainly an argument to be made that cultural groups without or outside of an autonomous homeland are more exposed than others.
Can’t speak for the Americas, but where I live right now certainly isn’t “perfectly safe” for jews. The closest synagogue to where I live is attacked pretty much on an annual basis, and the one jewish school in my country has to have round-the-clock armed guards. The only thing keeping me “safe” is that this part of my heritage isn’t publicly known. As mentioned in my previous comment, I would have left if I wasn’t fine with hiding/suppressing that part of my identity.
I’d strongly recommend educating yourself a bit on the subject before commenting further.
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Removed, civility
Persecution of Jews in WW2 Germany started before 1936. The Holocaust start date was 1933. You’re casually leaving out the 150K that went to Palestine from 1931 to 1936.
Jews being suppressed in whatever country you’re in is bad but I’m going to guess you’re not in America. Other countries also have problems suppressing other ethnic groups that’s not a Jews specific thing. Creating an Ethnostate by Genociding natives is proven to not solve this safety issue as we can see in Palestine right now. Jews are far safer in America than in israel which really begs the question why israel needs to exist.
But if you think ethnically cleansing a land to create a “safe space” is a solution, then remember that all Hitler wanted to do was to "create a safe space for his Ubermensch"as well.
I’m not a walking history book, and my time is limited. Besides, these people were coming from many places, not just Germany. If you (or anyone else for that matter) wants to explore the topic further there are plenty of books out there.
Because it already exists, and the people live there, call it home, and have done so for generations. They have a right to defend its existence. The same can be asked for the Palestinian Territories, or most other homelands of persecuted peoples. There are other, safer places, but this is their home.
I would also mention that recent events have highlighted that the US really can’t be counted on being/remaining safe, for people in general. Your political system is fucked up, is taking away basic rights from people, and political violence is on the rise.
Israel ceasing would in all likelihood mean genocide. Given the actions of Hamas on October 7th, there would be not tens of thousands of dead if the state of Israel “just stopped existing”, but hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dead. Even if the state was gone, the people it was protecting would still be there.
There needs to be peace, for all involved. That is what I think, not more, not less.
I also won’t deign you any further replies, given how you don’t seem interested in civil discussion, but rather strawmen and drawing warped parallells where there are none.
You are indeed not a walking history book. It’s one Hasbara after the next. Clearly you have been fully unable to learn anything about what israel is during the last 9 months of Genocide and are fully unwilling to do so.
Slavs were killed in battle.
This comment is getting dangerously close to holocause denialism.
The majority killed were civilians.
Oops, my brain turned off once you called them colonists.
If there wasn’t an israel no Palestinian would be Genocided right now. And that’s a real fact.
He’s clearly never been to Brooklyn
Yes, it makes sense to those who have studied history.