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Previous discussions on this topic may be found here:
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== New Topic to be called :Peace Options for the Middle East ==
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'''Should there be such a topic at all?''' ''' I mean Peace who needs it!'''
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--] 17:13, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
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==War Status==
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"Israel is formally at war with Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon. A 1973 armistice agreement governs relations with its most immediate military adversary, Syria, and a de facto armistice persists with the other states as well. The chances for peace negotiations and/or full diplomatic relations with most Arab nations appear a more likely prospect once an independent Palestinian Entity is established."
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|maindate=8 May 2008
I don't know, but is Isreal still formally at war with Iraq since the invasion and the installation of the new regime? ] 03:14, 18 August 2005 (UTC)
|topic=Geography
*That's a good question! I don't know either, but I suspect changing the status quo between Israel and Iraq would be fairly low on the list of priorities for either country; politically, it would be hard (if not suicidal) for any Iraqi leadership to make any conciliatory gestures toward Israel right now. --]] 03:20, 18 August 2005 (UTC)
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: See ] <sup><small><font color="DarkBlue">]</font></small></sup> 03:32, 18 August 2005 (UTC)
::As I said, hard, if not suicidal. Mithal al-Alusi's sons were murdered outside his home in February (the bullets were meant for him.) I hope he can succeed in his aims. --]] 03:51, 18 August 2005 (UTC)


== Putting in American financial support for Israel in the very first paragraph of the lead ==
The statement "Israel is formally at war with Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon" is wrong for two reasons.
*Under the UN Charter, of which all these states are signatories, there is no such thing as a declaration of war or a state of war. All UN members have renounced war as an instrument of policy. Therefore no state has been "formally at war" with any other state since 1945
*Since Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon have never recognised Israel, they can't be "formally" in any legal state with it.
] 12:03, 26 August 2005 (UTC)


Would it be appropriate to put in American financial backing for Israel over the years in the very first paragraph of the lead? I don't think so, but one user appeared to support the idea, so I thought to start a discussion. {{groupping|Pinging|RCSCott91|Selfstudier|ABHammad|Eladkarmel|Czello|Galamore|האופה}}. ''']''' <sub>(Please ] on reply)</sub> 17:20, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
: I'm not sure that your first reason is a good one. States can renounce war but still do it. However, I agree with your conclusion that there is a problem with the "formally at war" claim. I think it would be more correct to say "informally". They fought against each other and didn't kiss and make up yet. Both the Jordan-Israel and Egypt-Israel peace treaties speak of ending the state of war, IIRC. --] 13:39, 27 August 2005 (UTC)


:@], no, I do not think so. The article is not about the United States, and such prominent characterizations of bilateral support or dependence are best reserved for historical polities where the book is closed and the motor of history has moved on. <span style="border-radius:2px;padding:3px;background:#1E816F">]<span style="color:#fff">&nbsp;‥&nbsp;</span>]</span> 17:28, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
My first statement is a straightforward statement of international law. There are of course plenty of ''de facto'' "states of war," but the word "formally" can only refer to a ''de jure'' state of war, which cannot exist between UN Charter signatories. ] 14:10, 27 August 2005 (UTC)
:My comment was tongue in cheek response. ] (]) 17:31, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
:No, ]. — ''']''' <sup>''(])''</sup> 18:07, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
:No, that simply is not due. ] (]) 19:23, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
:Of course not, the US provides aid of all kinds to tens of countries. Israel is a US Ally and so get military aid just like many NATO countries ] (]) 20:11, 8 November 2024 (UTC)
::{{Ping|Fyukfy5}} the point is that without the weapons sent by the US, Israel would probably have lost the war immediately (and there would probably have been fewer deaths). In my opinion, it's essential to include the information proposed by the OP; however, I will vote neither yes nor no. ] (]) 14:30, 25 November 2024 (UTC)


== RfC ==
==Why Is There A Military Section?==
<!-- ] 23:01, 27 December 2024 (UTC) -->{{User:ClueBot III/DoNotArchiveUntil|1735340468}}
Should the article ] be linked from this article, and if yes, where?
:Possible answers:
*'''No,''' it should not be linked
*'''Yes,''' it should be linked in the lead.
*'''Yes,''' it should be linked from the body of the article (please specify which paragraph)


cheers, ] (]) 22:20, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
Whose idea was it for this? No other countries have information regarding their military.
--]
== Some dates and phonetics ==


===Polling (RfC)===
I just RV'd some changes that ] put in place, I took the liberty of changing some "gramatical" changes back to where they were. I personally don't think some of the phonetics this user used are globally accepted, such as the "Iyy" for the "Iud" sound in "Iyar". I left "Herzliyyah" unchanged, but I'd like to form some kind of consensus before undertaking the task. I was refrained of reversing all the changes from "day month" (ie: 5 Iyar) back to where they were, like "Month, Day" (Iyar, 5) more in accord with the english nomenclature. Unless somebody expresses their disconform here within a couple of days, I'll go ahead and put them back as they were. --] 21:51, 19 August 2005 (UTC)
{{notavote}}
*'''Yes,''' it should be linked in the lead and the body of the article, attached to content similar to that {{u|Selfstudier}} developed above, and content similar to that {{u|Huldra}} developed in {{oldid2|1258656766}} would serve well in the lede. It's obviously something readers are going to be coming to this page to learn more about, and the information exists on the encyclopedia, the conversations about whether it belongs here or not have laready been had, so there's no reason this page should not serve reader needs. — ] 🚀 <sup>(] • ])</sup> 21:53, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
*'''Yes,''' adding content as Selfstudier's above, preferably at the end of the 21st century paragraph + add a single sentence to the end of lead , ] (]) 22:15, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
*:I don't understand why it would be necessary to add it as a completely separate paragraph (if we were to add it) instead of just putting at the end of the third paragraph, which is far more related, and less abrupt. ] (])<sup><span style="color: green"><small>Ping me!</small></span></sup> 20:46, 26 November 2024 (UTC)
*'''Yes,''' {{TQ|adding content as Selfstudier's above, preferably at the end of the 21st century paragraph}} and add a single sentence to the <s>end of</s> lead per Huldra, but I would modify their suggested text ''("In 2024, Israel was accused of committing the ])"'' to ''"In 2024, Israel was accused of committing ]"'' or similar. My logic for the change is that the accusation/dispute centres on whether Israel's actions in Gaza constitute genocide ''(or are legitimate self-defence/similar)'', rather than whether the 'Gaza genocide' is being committed by Israel ''(as opposed to some other State or body)'' which Huldra's text otherwise implies.] (]) 07:59, 24 November 2024 (UTC)
*'''Yes''', I agree with the inclusion in the lead. ] (]) 16:02, 24 November 2024 (UTC)
*'''Yes''' to Selfstudier's suggestion in the body per the weight of reliable sources given (I'll leave to others to determine where), with a summary in the lead. Only suggestion is to add the arrest warrants on. '']''<sup>]</sup> 09:29, 25 November 2024 (UTC)
*'''Yes''' it should be included in the lede and in the body text.--] (]) 14:21, 25 November 2024 (UTC)
*'''Yes''' similarly to how self has suggested ] (]) 00:09, 26 November 2024 (UTC)
*'''No''' Not until a new article about Palestine's genocide against Israel is linked to the Palestine article.<ref name="b920">{{cite web | title=Situation in the State of Palestine: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I issues warrant of arrest for Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (Deif) | website=International Criminal Court | date=2024-11-21 | url=https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-state-palestine-icc-pre-trial-chamber-i-issues-warrant-arrest-mohammed-diab-ibrahim | access-date=2024-11-26}}</ref>] (]) 01:36, 26 November 2024 (UTC)
*:See ] and then perhaps think about making a policy based argument or your !vote will likely be ignored by whoever closes this RFC. '']''<sup>]</sup> 02:30, 26 November 2024 (UTC)
*'''No''' Given that there is no actual genocide. Very much not. ] (]) 05:06, 26 November 2024 (UTC)
*'''No''' The article "Gaza genocide" presents claims that lack broad consensus within the international community and are subject to significant dispute. Linking to such an article may mislead readers into perceiving these claims as established facts rather than contested allegations, thereby compromising the integrity of the host article. ] (]) 20:45, 26 November 2024 (UTC)
*'''No''' per MaskedSinger, Allthemilescombined1 and Eladkarmel; feels like including this would unduly shoehorn something in that doesn't belong in the general overview article. ''']'''<span style="border:2px solid #073642;background:rgb(255,156,0);background:linear-gradient(90deg, rgba(255,156,0,1) 0%, rgba(147,0,255,1) 45%, rgba(4,123,134,1) 87%);">]</span> 21:05, 26 November 2024 (UTC)
*'''Not in the lede'''. It should be made clear that these are accusations and many sources do not agree with this characterisation. Note that many country articles don't mention genocides in the lede even when there is a consensus that it happened (], ], ] (]), ], etc). ]<sub>]</sub> 21:38, 26 November 2024 (UTC)
::] just a question: when you say "nor in the lead; does that mean you think it should be in the body? If so, which paragraph? ] (]) 22:03, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
*'''Yes'''. There's a relevant section where it can be mentioned: ]. Right now, this article doesn't mention two important things: That the current Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, is a fugitive wanted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, and that Israel is being charged with genocide by South Africa in the International Court of Justice. I think there can be a new subsection in the "Israeli occupied territories" section, that mentions both facts. I see ] has given a sample text. I support that paragraph being added to the relevant section, but I think a mention of the ICC's arrest warrant of the Prime Minister of Israel (and Yoav Gallant's warrant too) could also be added, since it's also international litigation for crimes against humanity in Gaza. Mohammed Deif's arrest warrant doesn't need to be mentioned in this article. I think we can have a new subsection titled "Gaza Strip" that moves text that already exists in the section. So in addition to ]'s text, I would add the first sentence of the ] to the end of it, and make it look like ] (A link to a sandbox page that would show what the article would look like).--] (]) 05:43, 27 November 2024 (UTC)
*:As far as adding it to the lead, the already existing sentence in the lead, "Israel's practices in its occupation of the Palestinian territories have drawn sustained international criticism—along with accusations that it has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people—from human rights organizations and United Nations officials." seems to be a good enough summary, but I guess I would modify it to "Israel's practices in its occupation of the Palestinian territories have drawn sustained international criticism—along with accusations that it has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people—from human rights organizations, the International Criminal Court, and United Nations officials." The ICC is technically not a UN body, so it should be mentioned separately. But other than that, I think such a sentence would be fine. I'm open to suggestions on this though. ] (]) 05:48, 27 November 2024 (UTC)
<s>*'''No'''. The genocide allegation appears to be, at the moment, primarily a tool of propaganda. Unless substantial new evidence emerges, analyzed by impartial, non-politicized sources and supported by more than two vague statements and casualty figures (which include a significant number of Hamas militants but the Hamas-run Health Ministry prefers not to differentiate militants from civilians), such claims lack the rigor required for inclusion in serious, encyclopedic coverage. ] (]) 06:53, 27 November 2024 (UTC)</s><small>Blocked sock ] (]) 11:08, 12 December 2024 (UTC)</small>
*:"The genocide allegation appears to be, at the moment, primarily a tool of propaganda." This is simply not true. See: ]. ] (]) 07:00, 27 November 2024 (UTC)
*'''No'''. This article is about the State of Israel. Not news. Should the articles about the ], the ], ], and many others feature the various ''proven'' genocides that actually took place, or even in the lead? Might as well say "also known as the Z.E.", in the lead or anywhere, with some extra brackets for good measure? This is a matter of an ongoing armed conflict, with fog of war and disinformation throughout. Not only would it be "commenting on an ongoing investigation" as they say, but entirely inappropriate and irresponsible. ] (]) 11:38, 27 November 2024 (UTC)
*'''Yes''' Per ], required {{tq|mention of significant criticism or controversies}}, clearly true and which several of the No !votes have acknowledged as being the case. A mention should be added via inclusion within the sentence "Israel's practices in its occupation of the Palestinian territories have drawn sustained international criticism—along with accusations that it has committed war crimes <s>and</s> crimes against humanity ] ] against the Palestinian people—from human rights organizations and United Nations officials." ] (]) 12:10, 27 November 2024 (UTC)
* '''Not in the lede''' - a good chunk of the lede is already criticism, so adding additional accusations would seem like POV shoehorning. Not necessarily against inclusion in the body, but there isn't a specific proposal to comment on. — ] <sup>]</sup>/<sub>]</sub>\<sup>]</sup> 23:37, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
::] there is a question about whether it should be in the body. ("Yes, it should be linked from the body of the article (please specify which paragraph") So, if you agree: which paragraph? ] (]) 22:03, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
:::{{Re|Huldra}} Relevant material is currently in the body, unless it is reverted. The original dispute was about a sentence being added to the lead not material being added to the body, something which is not usually a source of dispute unless the amount of such material is undue. Option 2 already assumes material present in the body, no?. And option 1 just says no, so the third option is not really necessary. ] (]) 10:36, 4 December 2024 (UTC)
::::{{Re|Selfstudier}} When I started this RfC on the 22 nov, it wasn't in the body (that was first added the 27th) so the the third option is useful (necessary?) for keeping it there, ] (]) 23:09, 4 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::I just think the two things should not be mixed up, this RFC should not attempt to rubber stamp the addition that I made to the body, that should just be subject to the normal editing process. Imagine that I had not added it and people voted option 2? Then there would have had to have been another discussion about what should be in the body, so yes I have attempted to remedy a deficiency in the way the RFC was drafted and hopefully it meets with approval. ] (]) 23:19, 4 December 2024 (UTC)
*'''Yes in the body and the lede''': There are prominent RS (UN Special Committee, Israeli holocaust scholar ] to cite two examples) supporting the charachterization that Israel has been committing a genocide in Gaza, so there is no reason why this shouldn't be mentioned in the body. Accordingly, lede summarizes the body, so it should include that, given that it is one of the most prominent controversies Israel is facing second to the crime of apartheid in the West Bank (I am in favor of including both in the lede), though admittedly genocide hasn't reached the threshold of being confirmed, that's why for now it can be described as an accusation. The perfect short phrasing in my opinion for the lede can be: {{cquote|Israel's practices in the occupied territories has drawn sustained international criticism for violating the human rights of the Palestinians, including for maintaining an apartheid regime in the West Bank, as well as being accused of committing a genocide in Gaza.}} ] (]) 07:29, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
:Update to my "admittedly genocide hasn't reached the threshold of being confirmed," that is beginning to change as Amnesty International launched a report today . While this does not yet mean the threshold has been reached, but it gives a whole new significance to the inclusion of the "accusation" to the lede. ] (]) 12:01, 5 December 2024 (UTC)
*'''Yes, both in the lead and body''': Per sources and my understanding of ]. Some of these policies and guidelines are:
::1) ]. ] sources can be used to assess ]. My understanding is that once DUEness is established, Misplaced Pages articles can be kept up to date. This is actually a strength of Misplaced Pages. For example, no one would argue mentioning something about the economy in this article is ]. ] and overview ] sources about Israel would include something about the economy. It could be too much or too little, but something about the economy would be DUE in this article. However, economic stats in this article would probably be much more up to date than many published overview ] sources about Israel such as .
::Similarly, ] sources mention Israeli-Palestinian or Israeli-Arab conflict at length. As such, Gaza genocide would be DUE. If in several years, newly published ] sources do not mention this, it can be taken out of the lead. If in several years, both newly published ] and overview ] sources about Israel do not mention this, it can also be taken out of the body. But for now, to keep the article up to date, this is DUE.
::Sources are below, I cannot give lengthy quotes due to word count restrictions in ]
{{Collapse top|Coverage of Israeli-Palestinian or Israeli-Arab conflict in ] sources:}}
::*Britannica mentions these issues in the lead, although it's more brief than here
::*, Israel entry (accessible through Misplaced Pages library). Partial quote from the lead:
::{{tq2|...That conflict, which became known as the Arab-Israeli conflict, has heavily influenced Israel's development, as security issues have dominated Israeli politics and society since 1948...}}
::*, Israel entry (accessible through Misplaced Pages library). There's nothing similar to the Misplaced Pages lead. The "lead" in encyclopedia entry is just few sentences about geography. But the history section mentions these issues.
::* Israel entry (accessible through Misplaced Pages library). There's no history section, but large coverage, especially under Contemporary politics section.
{{Collapse bottom}}
::More tertiary sources can be found using Google Books, Google Scholar, or the (for example: )
::Given the coverage above, this is what I'd recommend for 3rd paragraph in the lead. Additions in bold, moved some wikilinks.
::{| style="background:silver; color: black"
|-
|
... Following the 1967 ] Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Egyptian ] and Syrian ]. <s>Israel established and continues to expand ] across the ] ], ] to international law, and has effectively annexed ] and the ] in moves largely unrecognized internationally.</s> ... Israel's practices '''and settlements''' in ] have drawn ]—along with accusations that it has committed '''genocide ,''' ], and '''other''' crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people—from '''scholars,''' human rights organizations and United Nations officials.
|}
::The above wording makes the lead neutral as only the accusation is added in Wikivoice. Similarly, the text in the body should be NPOV.
::2) ]. Lots of ]. See ]. There are already ] sources about this such as by ]. This source also ties Gaza genocide with Israeli-Palestinian conflict: {{tq|In this urgent, insightful essay, a respected historian places the Israeli-Palestinian war in context, challenging Western attitudes about the region}}
::3) ]. The above proposal would trim the lead word count by something like 26 words. It'd still be more than 400 words, but even many featured articles are longer than 400 words. ] (]) 17:27, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
::You linked to four tertiary sources, but I don't see the word "genocide" in any of them? (Britannica links to recent news about it, but that seems temporary.) Maybe this is a sign that our lede's focus should somehow be different, but in terms of accusations of genocide, if anything it seems like a sign that we should omit them.
::I don't think there's any dispute that something like {{tq|accusations that it has committed genocide}} would pass ], but that isn't really an argument for highlighting material in a lede. That comes down mainly to ] and to ], which tell us to {{tq|briefly summarize the most important points covered in an article}}. — ] <sup>]</sup>/<sub>]</sub>\<sup>]</sup> 01:34, 6 December 2024 (UTC)
:::I gave my reasoning for this.
:::This is a recent and ongoing event. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World, published in 2008, would not have mentioned 2024 events. It's a reliable source, but they are not clairvoyant.
:::My DUE argument was due to heavy coverage of Israeli-Palestinian or Israeli-Arab conflict in Israel entries in tertiary sources.
:::If sources published in the next few years do not explicitly mention Gaza genocide, it can be taken out of the body or the lead.
:::But for now, we can keep the article up to date. I believe this is the precedent in Misplaced Pages. Otherwise Misplaced Pages would be several years or longer behind everything if we had to wait for overview ] or ] sources for everything. Once those type of sources covering recent events are available however, those sources would determine how we proceed. ] (]) 11:52, 6 December 2024 (UTC)
*'''Yes''', it should be linked in the lead, at the end of the third paragraph where it discusses war crimes and crimes against humanity. This text has been through various iterations, but would benefit from greater precision by means of specificity. A great many countries have been accused of war crimes, making that a rather generic, not outstanding observation. While it is probably more notable that Israel has been accused of a particularly voluminous number of different war crimes in the post-WWII period, sitting above that are the very specific crimes against humanity in which it has been implicated –namely apartheid and genocide. Now apartheid has already been through the RFC process and denied a mention (based on rationales that grow poorer by the day) but to the question here, yes, it is extremely pertinent to mention the particularly nation-defining crime against humanity of genocide – the so-called crime of crimes. ] (]) 18:32, 6 December 2024 (UTC)
*'''Yes''' it is notable enough for an article, therefore should be linked. ] (]) 23:47, 8 December 2024 (UTC)
* '''Yes, but not in the lead.''' There's some discussion of genocide in the 21st century section of the article and this link could be put there, but it's not clear why this should be added to the lead. I am '''strongly opposed''' to adding it to the lead and most of the arguments for inclusion into the lead can be discounted on ]/]/] grounds. ] (]) 22:07, 12 December 2024 (UTC)
*'''Yes for the body, no for the lead''' It is certainly notable enough to mention in a relevant part of the article, but I think it is too recent to mention in the lead, since we cannot assess long-term historical importance yet. ] (]) 15:24, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*:{{u|QuicoleJR}}, can you point to the relevant ] for your argument? ] (]) 15:32, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*::The bar for something being included in the lead is pretty high, much higher than inclusion in the body. According to ], emphasis on material, such as the Gaza genocide, should reflect its relative importance to the topic as described by reliable sources. I think the current state of the lead is fine, although I would also be fine with adding a sentence or two about how Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank is illegal. I don't think the Gaza genocide by itself has enough weight to warrant inclusion in the lead. ] (]) 15:42, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*:::Gaza genocide is part of the Israeli-Palestinian or Israeli-Arab conflict, which is heavily covered in Israel entries in ] sources. See the sources above. ] (]) 15:46, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*::::Yes, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict certainly warrants inclusion in the lead. However, is the Gaza genocide ''itself'' heavily covered in those entries? It is the level of coverage for the specific topic that matters, not the level of coverage of the wider subject it is part of. ] (]) 15:52, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*:::::See the discussion above. ] (]) 15:59, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*:::::] requires mention of significant criticism or controversies, this fits the bill, it needs no more than a wikilink. ] (]) 16:07, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*::::::It says summarize the most important points. I am simply contending that this is not one of them. Israel is a sizable country with a lot of history, and I don't believe that this has enough DUE weight in reliable sources about Israel as a whole to warrant including prominently in the lead, although I think it is important enough to mention in the body. ] (]) 16:12, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*:::::::To be clear, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict definitely warrants inclusion in the lead, and we could probably add a sentence about the legality of Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, but I think including the Gaza genocide specifically in the lead would be recentist and UNDUE, especially since the Israel-Hamas war is only covered by "several wars" in the lead. ] (]) 16:15, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*::::::::See the wording suggestion above. This could be added into the lead while trimming the lead. For ], we can look at coverage of Arab-Israeli conflict. If newer tertiary sources in the upcoming years do not explicitly mention Gaza genocide, Gaza genocide can be taken out. Do we have any tertiary sources published in the past few months?
*::::::::If the only sources were newspaper articles, recentist arguments would succeed. However, we have so many secondary sources on Gaza genocide now. ] (]) 16:26, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*:::::::::Yes, we have many secondary sources on the Gaza genocide. We also have many secondary sources on a variety of other things, like the 7 October attacks or the ] of Israeli athletes. Those aren't included in the lead either. My question is whether secondary or tertiary sources on the topic of Israel as a whole mention the genocide. If not, it shouldn't be in the lead yet. ] (]) 16:29, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*::::::::::Assessing DUEness of Munich massacre is easy, since it happened in 1972. Look at tertiary sources. ] (]) 16:30, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*:::::::::::Arguing that we should rush this into the lead because we can't assess long-term importance yet is pure recentism. I'm not saying we can't update the body to add this information, but we should wait on adding it to the lead until the long-term impact is more clear. ] (]) 16:35, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*::::::::::::That wasn't my argument, I won't respond any further to not ] ] (]) 16:38, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*:::::::It says {{tq|summarize the most important points, including any prominent controversies}} I can assure you this is a prominent controversy. Well, unless you can convince me it isn't. ] (]) 16:19, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*::::::::It is a decently prominent controversy, but the State of Israel has had a ''lot'' of prominent controversies in its short history, and we can't stuff them all in the lead. I think mentioning that their occupation of Gaza and the West Bank is illegal would cover the most important controversy, being their illegal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. The Gaza genocide is arguably a subtopic of that. For an applicable example from another article, the featured article ] does not mention the atrocities they committed against China in World War II in the lead, even though it was, and still is, a very prominent controversy. Similarly, the lead of ] only gives the Holocaust two words in a sentence about the Nazi government. Similar considerations apply here. ] (]) 16:27, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*:::::::::And this would be exactly one word in the lead, per my suggestion. ] (]) 16:29, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*'''Only in the body''' while it’s a non-insignificant criticism, it’s not sufficiently significant to be included in the lead. Both based on the uncertain status and the recency of the accusation, the lead should instead continue referring to other, certain misconduct, per the relevant policies cited above, instead of referring to a disputed interpretation of some of the very recent actions. ] (]) 23:14, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
*:{{u|FortunateSons}}, can you please specify "the relevant policies"? ] (]) 16:19, 21 December 2024 (UTC)
*::], ], ], ] would probably be the most relevant ones ] (]) 08:50, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
*:::{{u|FortunateSons}}, thank you for clarification. Note that ] and ] are not '''policies''', they are '''explanatory essays'''. You can get more information in ].
*:::For interpretation of ] and ], we disagree, but this has been discussed above, so I'm not going to get into it again. ] (]) 14:15, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
*::::Of course, but they are broadly accepted as a concretisation of policy; nevertheless, thank you for the reminder. ] (]) 18:04, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
*'''Not in the lead''' per ]. Would prefer to wait until a court conviction or acquittal has been made to decide. ] (]) 04:10, 19 December 2024 (UTC)
*:The ] is not recent only the ] is and that is still a significant controversy, regardless. ] (]) 17:08, 21 December 2024 (UTC)
*::Since 1955, the population of Palestine has steadily increased. The life expectancy has increased, the infant mortality and child death rate has decreased. So I don’t understand how Israel has been genociding the Palestinians if all these numbers are improving for them. ] (]) 00:34, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
*:::Reminder of ] and ]. ] (]) 00:37, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
*::::Here is a source so it is not OR or NOTAFORUM. The source is a Jewish advocacy group. ] (]) 00:49, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
*:::::That isn’t a reliable source for the topic. ''']''' - 02:12, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
*:::::Without even getting into if the advocacy group source you provided is a reliable source, for accusation of genocide, we would use ] sources such as , so the source you provided does not invalidate those, per ]. ] (]) 14:27, 22 December 2024 (UTC)


=== Discussion (RfC) ===
Ok, I just did it. --] 16:18, 22 August 2005 (UTC)
:This doesn’t seem that actionable an RfC, or that productive a question. The content of the article is what is discussed, and links serve as navigational aids for delving into the content. Considering a link alone in the aether rather misses its purpose. ] (]) 09:02, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
::Seems that there should be first some material in the body related to the wikilink and ]. {{Re|Huldra}} Suggest you pull the RFC tag on this for now until some material can be put together for the article body. ] (]) 11:07, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
:::Something like this perhaps
:::] is accused of carrying out a ] against the ] by experts, governments, ] agencies, and ]s during ] of the ] in the ongoing ].<ref name="ohchr">{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=16 November 2023 |title=Gaza: UN experts call on international community to prevent genocide against the Palestinian people |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/11/gaza-un-experts-call-international-community-prevent-genocide-against |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224050530/https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/11/gaza-un-experts-call-international-community-prevent-genocide-against |archive-date=24 December 2023 |access-date=22 December 2023 |website=] |quote=Grave violations committed by Israel against Palestinians in the aftermath of 7 October, particularly in Gaza, point to a genocide in the making, UN experts said today. They illustrated evidence of increasing genocidal incitement, overt intent to "destroy the Palestinian people under occupation", loud calls for a 'second Nakba' in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory, and the use of powerful weaponry with inherently indiscriminate impacts, resulting in a colossal death toll and destruction of life-sustaining infrastructure.}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Burga |first=Solcyré |date=13 November 2023 |title=Is What's Happening in Gaza a Genocide? Experts Weigh In |url=https://time.com/6334409/is-whats-happening-gaza-genocide-experts |magazine=] |access-date=24 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125022352/https://time.com/6334409/is-whats-happening-gaza-genocide-experts/ |archive-date=25 November 2023}}; {{cite news |last=Corder |first=Mike |date=2 January 2024 |title=South Africa's genocide case against Israel sets up a high-stakes legal battle at the UN's top court |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/south-africas-genocide-case-israel-sets-high-stakes-106055104 |access-date=3 January 2024 |work=] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240107013809/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/south-africas-genocide-case-israel-sets-high-stakes-106055104 |archive-date=7 January 2024}};{{Cite web |last=Quigley |first=John |date=3 July 2024 |title=The Lancet and Genocide By "Slow Death" in Gaza |url=https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/the-lancet-and-genocide-by-slow-death-in-gaza/ |access-date=13 July 2024 |website=Arab Center Washington DC |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240713161805/https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/the-lancet-and-genocide-by-slow-death-in-gaza/ |archive-date=13 July 2024}}</ref> Observers, including the ] and ] ],<ref name="Albanese_anatomy_of_a_genocide">{{cite Q|Q125152282|url-status=live}}</ref> have cited statements by senior Israeli officials that may indicate an "]" (in whole or in part) Gaza's population, a necessary condition for the legal threshold of genocide to be met.<ref name="ohchr"/><ref>{{harvnb|Burga|2023}}; {{cite journal |last=Soni |first=S. |date=December 2023 |title=Gaza and international law: The global obligation to protect life and health |journal=South African Journal of Bioethics and Law |volume=16 |number=3 |pages=80–81 |doi=10.7196/SAJBL.2023.v16i3.1764 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="StateCrime">{{cite web |publisher=] |title=International Expert Statement on Israeli State Crime |website=statecrime.org |url=http://statecrime.org/international-expert-statement-on-israeli-state-crime |access-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240106140101/http://statecrime.org/international-expert-statement-on-israeli-state-crime |archive-date=6 January 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> A majority of mostly US-based Middle East scholars believe Israel's actions in Gaza were intended to make it uninhabitable for Palestinians, and 75% of them say Israel's actions in Gaza constitute either genocide or "major war crimes akin to genocide".<ref name="Brookings">{{cite web |url=https://www.brookings.edu/articles/gloom-about-the-day-after-the-gaza-war-pervasive-among-mideast-scholars/ |title=Gloom about the 'day after' the Gaza war pervasive among Mideast scholars |last1=Lynch |first1=Marc |last2=Telhami |first2=Shibley |date=20 June 2024 |publisher=] |access-date=29 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626215734/https://www.brookings.edu/articles/gloom-about-the-day-after-the-gaza-war-pervasive-among-mideast-scholars/ |archive-date=26 June 2024}}</ref> On 29 December 2023, South Africa instituted ] at the ] pursuant to the ],<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|date=December 29, 2023|title=South Africa launches case at top UN court accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza|url=https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-un-court-palestinians-genocide-ffe672c4eb3e14a30128542eaa537b21|access-date=January 5, 2024|work=]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240102144544/https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-un-court-palestinians-genocide-ffe672c4eb3e14a30128542eaa537b21|archive-date=January 2, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Rabin|first1=Roni Caryn|last2=Yazbek|first2=Hiba|last3=Fuller|first3=Thomas|date=2024-01-11|title=Israel Faces Accusation of Genocide as South Africa Brings Case to U.N. Court|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/11/world/middleeast/genocide-case-israel-south-africa.html|access-date=2024-01-13|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=13 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113053852/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/11/world/middleeast/genocide-case-israel-south-africa.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ICJ_SA_proceedings_vs_IL_29Dec2023">{{Cite web|date=December 29, 2023|title=Proceedings instituted by South Africa against the State of Israel on 29 December 2023|url=https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231228-app-01-00-en.pdf|access-date=January 5, 2024|website=]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105144115/https://www.icj-cij.org/index.php/node/203394|archive-date=January 5, 2024}} </ref><ref>{{Cite press release|date=December 29, 2023|title=South Africa institutes proceedings against Israel and requests the International Court of Justice to indicate provisional measures|issue=2023/77|url=https://www.un.org/unispal/document/icj-southafrica-israel-genocide-29dec2023/|location=The Hague, Netherlands|publisher=]|agency=]|access-date=January 5, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240105144230/https://www.un.org/unispal/document/icj-southafrica-israel-genocide-29dec2023/|archive-date=January 5, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
:::This is just wrt the genocide issue, need something about the arrest warrants as well. ] (]) 15:43, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
::::It doesn't seem very neutral to cover statements from sources like Albanese without also covering accusations of bias on their part. — ] <sup>]</sup>/<sub>]</sub>\<sup>]</sup> 23:36, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::It doesn’t make sense to cover things that aren’t relevant to the topic, like accusations of bias instead of addressing the substance of the statement. ''']''' - 00:57, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
::::::If we don't want to get into such accusations of bias then we shouldn't be using sources like Albanese in the first place. — ] <sup>]</sup>/<sub>]</sub>\<sup>]</sup> 17:00, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::::That makes no sense to me. We dont include accusations of bias against the Times of Israel anytime we use them as a source, or the NYTimes, or Benny Morris, or whatever other reliable sources we cite. The ad hominem of "she's biased" is not relevant to the argument she makes or the qualifications she has to make them. At most, such accusations belong in the biography of Albanese, or Morris, or whatever other article that covers the sources themselves, not whenever they are cited. ''']''' - 17:23, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
::::::::That's not at all comparable. NYT and Morris are occasionally criticized by both sides for various perceived biases. Accusations of bias against Albanese are far more significant, e.g. with officials from several different governments openly calling her antisemitic or unfit for her role. — ] <sup>]</sup>/<sub>]</sub>\<sup>]</sup> 18:59, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::They are directly comparable, and governments arent reliable sources for anything other than the views of the politicians heading those governments. It is a basic ad hominem, and it has nothing to do with the actual content of her comments. ''']''' - 19:04, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::It doesn't really make sense to call this an ad hominem, when source selection inherently involves evaluating sources rather than the content of their statements. Surely the ] here would be uninvolved ones with some semblance of objectivity.
::::::::::Covering Albanese's claim here is like covering 's claim that there isn't a genocide. Clearly neither is among the BESTSOURCES, and neither claim is noteworthy enough that it would need to be covered anyway. — ] <sup>]</sup>/<sub>]</sub>\<sup>]</sup> 19:57, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::Biden is a politician speaking as a politician. Albanese is an expert in international law, speaking as an expert in international law. ''']''' - 20:04, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::I should add that she isn't just speaking as an expert in international law (which she undoubtedly is), but she is speaking as a UN official who is the current ]. To compare her speech with Biden (a non-expert politician who has absolutely no scholarship on the issue and doesn't have an international law background) is ridiculous. ] (]) 18:39, 6 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::::Special Rapporteurs are not UN officials, they are independent experts consulted by the UN, and they remain independent. See ] for an overview. ''']''' - 20:54, 6 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::And Jews and others praising her, no? She must be doing something right. Afaics, she has tended to be ahead of the curve on most matters. ] (]) 19:06, 2 December 2024 (UTC)


{{talk ref}}
: I RV'd "Herzliyah" to "Herzliya". Although one could say there should be a double 'y' there, the general spelling should be that way. Another thing: Is it just me, or that using dates like September 01 looks ridiculis? one digit-date should appear September 1.. we are not computers .. (same goes for Tishrei 01 and etc..) --] 08:57, 26 August 2005 (UTC)


==Cuts== == Edit request ==


{{Edit extended-protected|Israel|answered=yes}}
I have reduced the size of the article from 55 to 38kb by
*editing the History section, particularly the detailed accounts of the various wars, which belong in the relevant specialist articles
*deleting all the stuff about political parties and coalitions etc, which belongs in ].
*deleting some material from the Military and Geography sections which belongs in specialist articles or repeats earlier material.
] 11:59, 26 August 2005 (UTC)


<!--Don't remove anything above this line.-->
==Demographics==


This article says that 60% of Israeli Jews were born in Israel. The ''CIA Factbook'', however, says:


* '''What I think should be changed (format using {{tl|textdiff}})''': In History, 21st century, please change {{TextDiff|A majority of mostly US-based Middle East scholars believe Israel's actions in Gaza were intended to make it uninhabitable for Palestinians, and 75% of them say Israel's actions in Gaza constitute either genocide or "major war crimes akin to genocide".|According to a recent Middle East Scholar Barometer poll of 758 mostly US-based Middle East scholars, a majority of those respondents believe Israel's actions in Gaza were intended to make it uninhabitable for Palestinians, and 75% of them say Israel's actions in Gaza constitute either genocide or "major war crimes akin to genocide".}}* '''Why it should be changed''':The result of any one poll is probably undue for this section, but if it is to be included, it should be with proper context.
:Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%, Israel-born 20.8%, Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9% (mostly Arab) (1996 est.)
* '''References supporting the possible change (format using the "cite" button)''':<ref>https://www.brookings.edu/articles/gloom-about-the-day-after-the-gaza-war-pervasive-among-mideast-scholars/</ref>

] (]) 18:32, 27 November 2024 (UTC)
Can someone clarify this?
<!--Don't remove anything below this line-->
] 12:13, 26 August 2005 (UTC)
:{{not done}}:<!-- Template:EEp --> neither an uncontroversial improvement, nor one that has consensus. ] (]) 10:33, 28 November 2024 (UTC)

{{reftalk}}
from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics gives counts by age and origin for Jews and Others (the later being non-Arab non-Jews such as the non-Jewish family members of immigrant Jews). gives annual summaries by religion. Average values for 2003 that I can see (thousands): Total 6690, Jews 5130, Moslems 1055, Christians 141 (of which Arab Christians 115), Druze 110, Unclassified 251, Total Arabs 1283. For place of birth for Jews only: Israel 3404, Elsewhere 1726 (of which Asia 222, Africa 309, America+Europe+Oceania 1195 (of which former USSR 732, Romania 110)). So 66% of Israeli Jews were born in Israel. I guess that the CIA figures are for "country of origin", which is not the same as country of birth. --] 13:16, 26 August 2005 (UTC)

has current summary statistics. For mid-year 2005: total 6921, Jews and Others 5564 (of which Jews 5269), Arabs 1357. --] 13:22, 26 August 2005 (UTC)


Well, the CIA site says clearly '''born''', and I'd be astonished if such a wildly incorrect statement, on such a sensitive subject, could survive without challenge on such a widely-read website, and an official US government website at that. That said, I will have to take the Israeli government figures as correct unless someone can show that they are not. ] 13:26, 26 August 2005 (UTC)

: It is indeed amazing, especially as anyone personally familiar with Israel would know that 20.8% is impossibly low. --] 13:50, 26 August 2005 (UTC)

:: Well actually, considering the fact that Israel was only created shortly after World War II, and that after the annexation of the area, a large proportion of the population was basically airlifted in, this is not a very surprising fact. I also have a great deal of other information (Religion vs. Ethnicity, Internal method of accounting as opposed to that of the CIA, etc.), which was cited in my earlier post, (though that seems to have been subsequently wiped-out) explaining the discrepancy between a few of the statistics given here. I personally don't want to get much further entangled in this discussion, but the proportion of Ethnically Jewish, Israeli born settlers within the bounds of the country established by the 1947 UN Partition Plan and inclusive of the areas included in the 1949-1950 armistices, is usually held at somewhere around 20%. If you have any questions about, or for me, or just need more explanation as to how I reached my conclusions, you can post your requests on my user page, or email me at Dariusthegreat88@gmail.com --] 9:52, 8 September 2005 (EST)

::: The numbers in the article are for Israel ''now'', not in 1948. Of course figures for 1948 would also be interesting. --] 11:07, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

== The new edition ==

I'll list some problems, though I won't get far in this sitting. --] 13:50, 26 August 2005 (UTC)

* "In fact Israel's interim constitution, the ], does not specify that Israel is a Jewish state, although this assumption underlies most Israeli law."<br>--Calling it the interim constitution is legally dubious, but the main problem is that the Basic Law on Human Dignity and Liberty, the Basic Law of the Knesset, and the Basic Law of Freedom of Occupation all say that Israel is a Jewish state. So the sentence is simply wrong. --] 13:50, 26 August 2005 (UTC)
::I read the Basic Law some time ago with the specific intention of finding where it defines Israel as a "Jewish state" and I couldn't find any such statement. I will go and read it again. ] 14:12, 26 August 2005 (UTC)
:::OK I have read the Basic Law again. The three references you refer to ''assume'' that Israel is a Jewish state, but there is no basic constitutional statement that "Israel is a Jewish state." I will modify the sentence somewhat. ] 14:19, 26 August 2005 (UTC)

* "Non-Jewish Israelis enjoy full political and civic equality"<br>--The most well-known exception is that non-Jewish citizens do not have the right to bring their non-Jewish spouses into Israel, but Jewish citizens do have the right to bring their non-Jewish spouses into Israel. There are a large number of other exceptions, many produced by carefully crafted legislation that appears balanced on the surface. So the claim is slightly false in theory and very false in practice. --] 13:50, 26 August 2005 (UTC)
::A foreign spouse is by defintion not an Israeli, so that doesn't really contradict what I said. No-one disputes that Israeli immigration law discriminates in favour of Jews. ] 14:12, 26 August 2005 (UTC)
::It is the right of Israeli '''citizens''' to live with their spouse in their own country which is alloted to '''citizens''' in a racist fashion. It is not the rights of spouses that are at issue. Even the rabidly pro-Israeli ADL criticised this law. --] 14:22, 26 August 2005 (UTC)
:::I will modify the statement. Can we avoid words like "rabidly"? I am very tired of over-heated rhetoric on this subject. ] 14:30, 26 August 2005 (UTC)

Guys, let me humbly point out that the Israeli declaration of independence does state that Israel is a Jewish State.
Quote ''ACCORDINGLY WE, MEMBERS OF THE PEOPLE'S COUNCIL, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF ERETZ-ISRAEL AND OF THE ZIONIST MOVEMENT, ARE HERE ASSEMBLED ON THE DAY OF THE TERMINATION OF THE BRITISH MANDATE OVER ERETZ-ISRAEL AND, BY VIRTUE OF OUR NATURAL AND HISTORIC RIGHT AND ON THE STRENGTH OF THE RESOLUTION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, HEREBY DECLARE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE IN ERETZ-ISRAEL, TO BE KNOWN AS THE STATE OF ISRAEL.'' (Caps are from the text)
Please see ]

A declaration of independence is neither a constitution nor a statute. I of course don't dispute that the founders of Israel intended it to be a Jewish state. All I am pointing out is that there is no actual constitutional statement to that effect. ] 01:24, 27 August 2005 (UTC)

:That is indeed a good point, but in this case the spirit is clear and I think it should be in the article. Nevertheless, the fact that it is not formally written is good for Israel and should make integrating other religions into the country easier, hopefully in the near future.

Don't hold your breath. ] 05:12, 27 August 2005 (UTC)

You can't expect to find a simple statement "Israel is a Jewish State" because then it would have to be defined. However, statements like "The purpose of this Basic Law if to protect freedom of occupation, in order to establish in a Basic Law the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state." have the same effect and are intended to have the same effect. The Law of the Knesset even has an enforcement provision: if your political party doesn't hold that Israel is a Jewish State you can't stand for election. There are also multiple references to the principles enunciated in the declaration of independence, of which "Jewish State" is central. It appears that the Israeli Supreme Court indeed holds the "Jewish State" concept as foundational even though they have trouble agreeing on what it means. Below is an extract from the Stanford Journal of International Law, Winter 2004, pp64-68. --] 05:39, 27 August 2005 (UTC)

:= = = = = = = = =
:2. Israel: "Jewish and Democratic"
: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Common Article 1A of the Basic Laws reads, "The purpose of this Basic Law is to protect human dignity and liberty, in order to establish in a Basic Law the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state." This clause in the 1992 Basic Laws amplified an amendment to the 1985 Basic Law: The Knesset, which stated that political parties may be banned from participating in parliamentary elections for several reasons, including the negation of the existence of Israel as a democracy and as the "state of the Jewish people." In 2002, this section was amended to conform with the 1992 Basic Law to read that a person or a party could not stand as a candidate for Knesset election if it could be inferred from their goals or acts that they deny the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. The amendment allows the Central Elections Committee to disqualify a party or a specific candidate from a party list. In 1992, the Parties Law was enacted, including similar restrictions on the registration of political parties. Although the reference to Israel as a Jewish state appears already in the 1948 Declaration of Independence, the phrase "Jewish and democratic state" began playing a far more significant role since the enactment of these laws, and especially after these terms were included in the 1992 Basic Laws. As a result, in current Israeli discourse, the definition of the state as Jewish (and not just democratic) may serve to justify the denial of full civic equality to non-Jews, particularly the denial of their collective rights as a national minority within Israel. It may also provide a rationale for the curtailment of democracy, especially concerning equality for Israel's Palestinian citizens.
: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Since the 1990s, political and legal discourses in Israel have become increasingly polarized between those who emphasize the "Jewish state" aspect and those who argue that, as a democracy, Israel must consider itself the "state of all its citizens." The prevalence of the "Jewish state" idea as a constitutional principle has often served to delegitimize the idea of Israel as the "state of all its citizens."
: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The definition of Israel as the "state of the Jewish People" in the 1985 amendment to the Basic Law: The Knesset, and as a "Jewish state" in the 1992 Basic Laws, affected the thrust of the prevailing discourse and came to imply that Israel belongs to the Jewish people and is not the "state of all its citizens." These ideas resonate in Supreme Court rulings pursuant to the statutory provisions placing limitations on political parties. In the 1988 Ben-Shalom ruling, the Court gave the "Jewish state" concept one of its most maximalist readings. Although it may be unusual in the extent to which it expands the Jewish state at the expense of democracy, and although this ruling was issued prior to the time framework discussed in this Article, it is indicative of the tensions between Jewishness and democracy in Israeli constitutional discourse.
: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the Ben-Shalom case, the Supreme Court heard an appeal requesting that a party with both Arab and Jewish members be disqualified from participating in elections because it had rejected the principle that Israel is the state of the Jewish people. Although the Court rejected the appeal three votes to two, one dissenting judge, Dov Levin, argued that a party calling for full equality between Jews and Arabs and stating that Israel is the "state of all its citizens" should be disqualified from participation since it thereby rejects the constitutional idea of Israel as a Jewish state. The other dissenting judge, Menachem Elon, emphasized that Israel is the "state of the Jewish people," and only the Jewish people. While disqualification was prevented because the majority held that the evidence submitted had been insufficient to prove that the party in question had rejected the idea of Israel as a Jewish state, the majority did not seem to strongly disagree with the minority Justices on the interpretation of the Basic Law. In any case, the dissenting opinions are an example of the broad interpretation given by some justices to the notion of the Jewish state.
: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Another ruling issued in 1996, however, adopts a different view than the one expressed by the dissenters in Ben-Shalom and tacitly supported by the majority. In Issacson, the Supreme Court was asked to overturn a decision that had allowed the registration of an Arab party under the Parties Law. The Court rejected the appeal, and Justice Cheshin held that the party's declaration that the state of Israel is a "state of all its citizens" does not contradict the existence of Israel as a Jewish state, since equality among all citizens is a fundamental principle of democracy.
: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the 1999 Ehrlich ruling, the Supreme Court considered disqualifying a party on similar grounds, but ruled that it was questionable whether Azmi Bishara, the party leader, had indeed negated the idea of Israel as a Jewish state. Finally, before the 2003 elections, the Central Elections Committee disqualified two Arab individual candidates and an entire Arab political party based, inter alia, on the same grounds, but these decisions were overturned by the Supreme Court. The Court held that the idea of the "state of all its citizens" may or may not contradict the idea of the Jewish state, depending on the specific interpretation it is given.
: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;These rulings indicate that the constitutional definition of Israel as a democracy and the state of the Jewish people was more than once interpreted in case law as an endorsement of the state's ethnic character, potentially disqualifying from participation in the political process anyone seeking a shift from an ethnic state to a liberal democracy based on civic equality. Although no party has been disqualified on these grounds since 1965, and the 2003 Central Elections Committee decisions were overturned by the Supreme Court, the interpretation in Ben-Shalom provided by the dissenting justices and tacitly endorsed by the majority represents a prevailing attitude that the definition of Israel as a Jewish state or as the state of the Jewish people denies the option of viewing it as the state of all its citizens. To fully understand the pervasiveness of this understanding of Israel as a "Jewish state," one must look not only at the symbolic level and at the question of political participation, but also at existing practices of discrimination that are connected to the identification of the state with the dominant ethnic group. These practices especially include discrimination in allocation of resources, such as land and education.
: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That being said, in Ka'adan, a precedent-setting ruling concerning land rights discussed in Part IV.D.3, the Supreme Court surprisingly relied on the Jewish state definition to reinforce rather than deny equality to Arab citizens. The Court's rationale was that the character and values of a Jewish state require it to ensure equal treatment of non-Jews. In a later development, in 2002 as part of a decision stating that municipal signs in mixed Jewish-Arab cities in Israel must be written in Arabic in addition to Hebrew, the Supreme Court recognized the collective language rights of Israel's Palestinian minority.
: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To conclude, the reinforcement of the Jewish state definition in 1992 through the new Basic Laws and the Parties Law may bolster Israel's ethnic nature at the expense of egalitarian democracy. The likelihood of this outcome will depend largely on the course the judiciary chooses, and its record has been mixed thus far. In and of itself, the constitutional definition of the state as the Jewish state did strengthen a discourse that rejects the idea of Israel as a state of all its citizens. Insofar as reconciliation within Israel proper would require acknowledging the exclusion of its Palestinian citizens from full and equal citizenship in the state, the strengthening of the Jewish state at the expense of the democratic state or the state of all its citizens runs counter to the goal of reconciliation. From a transitional justice perspective, then, the transformations of Israeli constitutional law in the 1990s failed to encourage reconciliation and inclusiveness. In fact, the opposite may be true.
: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Finally, the 1992 Israeli Basic Laws do not include an equality clause. The right to equality was sacrificed in political compromises struck on the way to the legislation of the Basic Laws because of concerns about its potential effect on religious issues, state relationships, and relationships between Jews and Arabs. However, after the legislation of the Basic Laws, the Supreme Court issued several rulings stating that the right to equality is protected by the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, as part of the right to human dignity, and also made significant rulings concerning equality for Arabs within Israel. The absence of an explicit equality provision in the Basic Laws, however, is significant in and of itself.
: . &nbsp;&nbsp; Pnina Lahav discusses how the idea of the "Jewish state" in the Declaration of Independence was first used by the Israeli Supreme Court to limit democracy when it came to electoral participation rights of Arab parties in the famous Yeredor case. E.A. 1/65, Yeredor v. Chairman of the Central Elections Commission, 19(3) P.D. 365. In this sense, this case is a precursor of the 1990s constitutional discourse about a "Jewish and democratic state." See generally Pnina Lahav, Judgment in Jerusalem: Chief Justice Simon Agranat and the Zionist Century 181-195 (1997). On the "Jewishness" discourse in Israel's Declaration of Independence, see Pnina Lahav, A" Jewish State...to Be Known as the State of Israel": Notes on Israeli Legal Historiography, 19 Law & Hist. Rev. 387 (2001). (other footnotes on request)
:= = = = = = = = =


That is all very interesting, and what it shows is that Israel has felt increasingly compelled over the past 20 years to provide legal reinforcement for the view that Israel is a state for one and only one ethnic-religious community, the Jews, in the face of increasing rejection of this view of nationality in western liberal-democratic states. It is interesting in this context to note that the three Basic Laws which Zero refered me to date from 1986, 1992 and 1994. In other words, from 1948 to 1986 there was no reference at all in the Basic Law, the nearest thing Israel has to a constitution, to Israel being a Jewish state. Three such references have now been added to the Basic Law. But the Basic Laws are only statutes passed by the Knesset, they are not clauses of a constitution. By contrast, the Iranian Constitution (to take one example) says: "The form of government of Iran is that of an Islamic Republic, endorsed by the people of Iran on the basis of their longstanding belief in the sovereignty of truth and Qur'anic justice." So Iran's status as an Islamic republic is ''constitutionally entrenched'' in a way Israel's status as a Jewish state is not. One might suggest that the principal reason Israel does not have a constitution after 57 years of statehood is because there is no consensus on what is meant by the expression "Jewish state" and on exactly what kind of state Israel is. ] 09:01, 27 August 2005 (UTC)

:Israel clearly isn't the only liberal-democracy without a constitution (except for the United Kingodm, which nonetheless exhibit a liberal-democratic tradition spanning hunderds of years) by mere coincedence. For those fluent in Hebrew, this is the site of the Constitutional Committee: , and less comprehensively in English at: . ] 09:18, 29 August 2005 (UTC)

==Pages for deletion==
I nominate this page as a page for deletion. Due to the fact that Israel has violated a large number of U.N. resolutions; it has demonstrated that it is not concerned with it's soveriegn status as granted by the U.N.. Therefore, it should be considered a non-soveriegn state, and as such, should be of no concern to Misplaced Pages. As a Misplaced Pages editor, you have the right to vote for or against deletion, you do not have the right to erase my nomination for deletion.


== Tag ==
{{resolved}}-tag removed !<span style="font-weight:bold;color:darkblue">]</span>🍁 20:05, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
---- ----
{{Re|Moxy}} Reasons for , please? ] (]) 13:15, 28 November 2024 (UTC)


:Nothing but military info looks like nothing but conflict for 20+ years ...this article is not ]. Need info like ..90s saw first featuring direct election of the prime minister etc. <span style="font-weight:bold;color:darkblue">]</span>🍁 13:22, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
We have the right to ignore it as a silly piece of anonymous provocation. ] 07:22, 29 August 2005 (UTC)
::You tag says undue not that the section needs updating, which material is undue? And why? ] (]) 13:25, 28 November 2024 (UTC)

:::undue because its nothing but military history....no memtiom of any other history. Sounds like the most unstable country doing nothing but being at war. <span style="font-weight:bold;color:darkblue">]</span>🍁 13:29, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
:We have the ''obligation'' to ignore it as a ] piece of anonymous ]. When the ] deems ] non-soveriegn, then such a change can be implemented. At the event, there's the 1947 ] which was voted on accordingly:
::::History on its own at 5116 words is half an article by itself. A lot is likely undue. ] (]) 13:47, 28 November 2024 (UTC)

:::::Agree so much details - over info that can be and is covred in sub articles that can be trimed like :''The Jewish insurgency continued and peaked in July 1947, with a series of widespread guerrilla raids culminating in the Sergeants affair, in which the Irgun took two British sergeants hostage as attempted leverage against the planned execution of three Irgun operatives. After the executions were carried out, the Irgun killed the two British soldiers, hanged their bodies from trees, and left a booby trap at the scene which injured a British soldier. The incident caused widespread outrage in the UK" <span style="font-weight:bold;color:darkblue">]</span>🍁 13:51, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
:<code>The 33 countries that voted in favor of UN Resolution 181: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ].
::::::The section that has been tagged is ], a short section, the material {{tq|The Jewish insurgency continued and peaked...}} is not even in it, that material is in ] section, which has not been tagged.

::::::So did you mean to tag something else? ] (]) 14:08, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
:<code>The 13 countries that voted against UN Resolution 181: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ].
:::::::Moxy explained that subsection above, it is just one of a few with similar issues. ] (]) 16:57, 28 November 2024 (UTC)

::::::::They haven't explained it, the material they quote is not tagged. ] (]) 16:59, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
:<code>The ten countries that abstained: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ].</code> ] 08:28, 29 August 2005 (UTC)
:::::::::Sorry I thought I was pretty clear.... the whole section is just about military.... in fact we have two paragraphs for something that's happening in the past year. What we are looking for is substantial historical significant information about the country's social and historic evolution in that time. Best we simply don't regurgitate American news headlines. For example should mention ]... What kind of social human rights progress has there been? In 20 years there must be some sort of legal process that has changed.... democratic decline perhaps? What has happened on the diplomatic front.... like the mass increase in foreign aid? <span style="font-weight:bold;color:darkblue">]</span>🍁 20:29, 28 November 2024 (UTC)

::::::::::{{tq|the whole section is just about military}} Which section? The only section that you tagged is the 21st Century section. If you meant to put the tag for the entire history section, then do that, I would also agree with that inline with multiple prior discussions asserting that it was way too long. ] (]) 21:05, 28 November 2024 (UTC)

:::::::::::{{green|Which section?}} Not interested in some sort of gameplay. Your initial post was about a tag in a section this is the topic of the ongoing conversation..... with mention by another and myself about the excess detail overall in the history section with an example that I gave. You either agree it's excessive or you don't.... best course of action would be to come up with some sort of prose for the section.... and a better summary. <span style="font-weight:bold;color:darkblue">]</span>🍁 21:33, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
While I agree with your general point, that vote was not a vote to recognise the State of Israel. It was a vote on the Partition Plan. Israel is quite clear that its sovereignty does not derive from a vote taken by the UN, but on the inherent right of nationhood of the Jewish people. ] 08:58, 29 August 2005 (UTC)
:Yes, I know; point taken though, I didn't qualify the above with great precision. ] 09:29, 29 August 2005 (UTC) ::::::::::::OK, you don't want to admit you got this all backwards, fine by me, bfn. ] (]) 23:08, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::::What you have to ask yourself is does your approach to this conversation help improve that article or not. There is clearly a problem all over the history section...but the info in this tagged section is the topic of conversation...do you have any input what can be done to help the section? Then perhaps we can move on to other sections. <span style="font-weight:bold;color:darkblue">]</span>🍁 15:57, 29 November 2024 (UTC)

::::::::::::::I asked you what the problems were and your response was to quote something else from an untagged section, so if you can answer the original question that would be good. ] (]) 16:15, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
:Not sure what the discussion was about, but anyway Israel's sovereignty under international law derives from their recognition by other nations and by international bodies such as the UN. Same as for everybody. Nothing to do with how good their national myths are. --] 09:54, 1 September 2005 (UTC)
:::::::::::::::<s>Best you let someone that is competent deal with the tag</s>. <small>My bad just frustrated that the post has not moved forward in actual improvements. Will address the problem with prose after the content addition dispute is over.</small> <span style="font-weight:bold;color:darkblue">]</span>🍁 18:23, 29 November 2024 (UTC)

::::::::::::::::Couldn't agree more. ] (]) 18:30, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
== map ==
::::::::::::::::What content addition dispute? ] (]) 19:50, 29 November 2024 (UTC)

:::::::::::::::::Was not aware of . Let's deal with the content issue after all the current concers. Last post from me here.<span style="font-weight:bold;color:darkblue">]</span>🍁 20:01, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
<center>]</center>
::::::::::::::::::<s>I don't see what that has to do with the issue you have been describing in this section.</s>. OK, resolved for now. ] (]) 20:05, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
Anyone notice that the map shows Israel containing ] and not containing the ]/]? Seems a bit ] to me (though a mixed POV).

--23:17, 31 August 2005 (UTC)
(Comment: unsigned by ]. Please use <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> in the future to auto sign & date your posts)

: Nah, I think the pixel for Gaza is missing. I envy your eagle vision though. ]&larr;]] 00:47, 1 September 2005 (UTC)

::Hey, is ] shaded in or not? And the borders seem to include ]. Perhaps this is why eight pixel maps of countries are not used to determine international borders. --] 01:06, 1 September 2005 (UTC)
==terrorist vs. militant==
It seems very strange to me that self-described terrorists cant be described as such to the point of censorship. Ive just noticed on the wikipedia entry for 'stern gang' their called 'terrorist'-so theres a form of schizophrenia in wikipedia- however if thats what you want Im not going to argue it just that reality is being denied ] 06:08, 1 September 2005 (UTC)
:The introduction refers to actions by groups on both sides; singling out just one group is POV, and needless detail in a summary article. As well, Misplaced Pages prefers the term "militant" as more neutral than "terrorist". ]<sup><font color="DarkGreen">]</font></sup> 06:25, 1 September 2005 (UTC)

== Motto ==

The page is protected but the motto has somehow disappeared, I think in the last edit by ]. Can somebody with access put it back?
:Israel don't have national motto! ] 15:56, 2 September 2005 (UTC)
::I disagree, but in any event, a note here before doing it would've been nice. --] <sup>'']''</sup> 15:59, 2 September 2005 (UTC)

We aren't supposed to make substantial edits while the page is protected. However, we can discuss here whether or not Israel really has a motto. Has anyone produced hard evidence in either direction? --] 03:15, 3 September 2005 (UTC)
: no motto. just see the Hebrew version of this page. ] 08:13, 3 September 2005 (UTC)
::I'm an Israeli and I've never heard of anything such as an Israeli motto. The removed "im tirzu, ein zo agada" was the motto of ]'s ''Altneuland'', it has become a popular Zionist slogan, but I've never heard it is Israel's motto.--] 13:13, 3 September 2005 (UTC)
::: So that's where I've heard it before. Unless someone can find some sort of official statement that the Altneuland motto was adopted by Israel, I think we should keep it out. --] 06:43, 4 September 2005 (UTC)
::::Look what i've found . This is curious... maybe somebody living in Israel can shed some light? --] <sup>'']''</sup> 23:04, 7 September 2005 (UTC)
:::::Haven't got a clue--] 06:02, 8 September 2005 (UTC)
:::::: Again - no official moto. The flag anthem and symbol are set by Knesset legislation. NO legislation re moto. ] 10:06, 8 September 2005 (UTC)

==This version==

Having been accused within 48 hours of being both an Israeli agent and an anti-Semite, I am fairly confident that the current version is fairly balanced. Any article that annoys fanatics on both sides is heading in the right direction. ] 14:38, 3 September 2005 (UTC)
:Balanced?? The tag ] is not inappropriate for this article since it presents a POV held by a narrow minority as if it was the (global) majority view. It's disgusting frankly. As a Jewish person I _know_ that what you are doing is a disservice to Jews even if you mean to do the opposite. By presenting (modern) extremist US-Israeli views on Israel and it's history as if it was factual you are turning a Misplaced Pages article into cheap propaganda.
:Imagine if I would edit an article on homosexuality and would put in this sentence: 'Men and women has throughout the ages strived to become homosexuals and it is well known that every important historical person that has ever lived has been a homosexual', do you think a person reading that would say 'Interesting, I didn't know that' or do you think they would laugh and then not take the other (real, factual) claims that were in the article seriously?
:If I was to edit an article about Israel I would probably slant it in a pro-Israeli way since I believe that we should have a homeland (and it's impossible to not be biased) but I wouldn't resort to writing a fairytale version of reality.
:In the opening paragraph you have this sentence;
:"In most respects, non-Jewish Israelis enjoy full political and civic equality (although some laws favour Jewish citizens), but Israel is not a secular or multicultural state in the purest sense."
:Who do you expect would believe that? The whole article is like that and it only serves to discredit Misplaced Pages, and to discredit us Jews that wants and needs to live in the real world.
:I don't think it would be much use if I were to edit/suggest edits to the article as I believe they would get reverted, even if I submitted 100 references for every edit. That's not the way it should be. --] 06:04, 4 September 2005 (UTC)
:: Please be more explicit and less emotional. What would you write instead of that sentence? You ''might'' have a good point, but so far you haven't given us the opporttunity to judge it. --] 06:46, 4 September 2005 (UTC)

And if you are not prepared to take part in editing, you have no right to put dispute tags on articles. If your edits have merit, other editors will protect them from reversion. ] 07:05, 4 September 2005 (UTC)

== Largest city ==
jerusalem is not the largest city, tel aviv is three times larger {{unsigned2|22:02, 3 September 2005|65.27.66.67}}
*The ] metropolitan area is bigger (1.8 million), but the city itself is only 365,000. --]] 22:08, 3 September 2005 (UTC)
:* Are they referring to largest in population or per square mile?]
:::Population.--] 09:30, 5 September 2005 (UTC)

How large is the population of ''West'' Jerusalem? Because the rest of the world doesn't consider East Jerusalem to be part of Israel, and our Jerusalem article gives 704,900 as the population of ''all'' of Jerusalem. Assuming the two halves are about the same population (they may not be), you would have a situation where the ''Israelis'' say that Jerusalem (all of it) is the largest city in Israel, but the rest of the world says that Tel Aviv is, because it is larger than the undisputedly Israeli part of Jerusalem...does that make sense? ] ] 22:40, 13 September 2005 (UTC)
*Good point. The articles I've seen use that 700K number for combined East and West Jerusalem. --]] 23:03, 13 September 2005 (UTC)
::About 58% of the population of Jerusalem lives in the territory annexed in 1967, out of which 45% are Jewish. About 67% of all residents of Jerusalem are Jewish. Even if you consider only the Jewish residents, Jerusalem is still the most populated city in Israel. For the facts-in-a-glance box, I think this is accurate enough.--] 07:50, 14 September 2005 (UTC)
:::This seems fair enough, I guess... ] ] 15:41, 15 September 2005 (UTC)
::::Well, wait. It doesn't make any difference whether they are Jewish or Shinto; it's people who make up the population of a place. I'm not at all sure of the relevance of the demography. I mean, if there were more Jews in NYC than in all of Israel, it wouldnot make NYC the largest city in Israel. --]] 15:49, 15 September 2005 (UTC)
:::::Well, yes, but the Jews living in East Jerusalem behave as active citizens of Israel - they vote in Israeli elections, they serve in the Israeli army, and so forth. I think it's a tough call, but when the options are either a) listing just Jerusalem; and b) listing both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, I'm going to go with the simpler option if a rationale can be found that's not ''too'' obviously POV. ] ] 18:12, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

== Origins of Judaism/Christianity ==

Adam, I don't agree with the removal of "Israel was the birthplace of ] in the ] or earlier and of ] at the beginning of the ] CE," on the grounds, as you wrote, that this isn't an article about religion, because this is one of the most notable things about Israel (well, the most notable). The article on ] similarly says in the first paragraph: "Ancient Athens was a powerful city-state and renowned center of learning," even though it's not an article about ancient Athens or centers of learning, but again, it's what Athens is most notable for; and ] notes in the first paragraph that "Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and some of the world's most stunning ancient monuments ..." ] <sup><font color="Purple">]</font></sup> 15:02, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

I beg to differ. Athens and Egypt both have continuous histories, so an overview article rightly talks (briefly) about their ancient pasts. This article is about the State of Israel, which was founded in 1948. Some historical background is relevant, but events 2000 years ago and more are not. Of course the Jews' earlier history in the area is relevant to the founding of the State of Israel, but that belongs in the history section, not in the opening section. The origins of Christianity have nothing to do with the topic at all since Israel is not a Christian country. ] 15:21, 13 September 2005 (UTC)
:I agree with SlimVirgin, even the article about the ] mentions ancient civilizations.--] 15:24, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

::Adam, I'm not sure how Athens can be said to have a continuous history, though I'm also not sure how you'd define discontinuous. The article is called Israel, and it's about the state, that piece of land, and the history, and the most notable things about it should be in the intro. That two of the world's major religions were founded there is one of the most notable things. Israel not being a Christian country is also neither here nor there. Athens is no longer a center of learning. ] <sup><font color="Purple">]</font></sup> 17:21, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

:I think what Adam MAY be trying to say is 1- It wasn't called "Israel" during a lot of the periods of time when these religions were founded (at least not by all who lived in the land such as the Romans), and/or 2) what encompassed "Israel" during those times is not necessarily the territory that forms the "State of Israel" now. What do people think about a statement along the lines of "The territory/land on which Israel was founded was the birthplace of etc etc etc"? ] <sup><small><font color="DarkBlue">]</font></small></sup> 17:59, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

::Sure, I'd be fine with that. ] <sup><font color="Purple">]</font></sup> 18:11, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

::Sounds reasonable to me. ]<sup><small><font color="DarkGreen">]</font></small></sup> 21:50, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

What I mean is that there has been a town called Athens on its present site continuously since ancient times, so its entire history can be discussed at the one article. There has not been a country called Israel continuously since ancient times. This article is not about the Jewish kingdoms of ancient times, nor is it about the history of Judaism or the Jews (let alone Christianity). It is about the modern state of Israel. If I go to ], I do not expect to find a history of the ] or ], even though those states existed on the territory of what is now Turkey. ] 00:09, 14 September 2005 (UTC)
:I think you're wrong, Turkey seems to be an exception. Many countries had seen civilizations replacing each other through conquest and migration, and it's quite reasonable to mention earlier civilizations of a country even if they are not directly related to the state that resides in it. Most country articles in Misplaced Pages do so, see ], ], ], ], ], and so on.--] 07:16, 14 September 2005 (UTC)
:As for your argument about the actual birthplace of Christianity, I'm pretty sure Jesus did not confine himself to the West Bank, I gather he spent much of his time in the Galilee.--] 07:36, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

The issue is one of continuity. England and Sweden have a historical continuity going back to the early Middle Ages, Hungary since whenever the Magyars arrived (in the 9th centuty, I think). But there is no continuity between the ancient Jewish kingdoms and the modern State of Israel. For 1,200 years that territory was Arab Palestine, and for centuries before that it was Byzantine, Roman or Greek. That, after all, is the whole point of Zionism - the ''re-establishment'' of a Jewish state. This means that the "History of Israel" is ''not'' the complete history of the piece of land now occupied by Israel - that is fact a POV position, since it asserts that Israel has in some mystical way "always been there". Some Jews may well believe that, and I am not here to argue with them, but Misplaced Pages cannot adopt that position. The History of Israel, properly defined, begins in 1948, and even for legitimate background can only go back to the founding of the Zionist movement. Therefore, the origins of Judaism and Christianity are ''not'' part of the history of Israel. The fact that the Ancient Hebrews lived there ''is'' of course a relevant fact, because it explains why Israel is where it is and not in Uganda or Birobidjan. ] 08:23, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

:That's all very fine, but again, it is common practice to mention earlier civilizations in articles about countries even if they are not directly related to the present-day state. Thus, the history of the ] starts with the "migration of people from Asia across the Bering Sea", even though they are unrelated to the present-day American civilization (and in fact were replaced by it), ] is "famous for its ancient civilization" and ] had the "famous Phoenician city of Carthage" and later became known as "the bread basket of the Roman Empire", even though these are both unrelated to modern Egypt and Tunisia, respectively, in the same way that ancient Israel is (presumably) unrelated to modern Israel. Historical continuity (if indeed there is such thing) is besides the point -- when discussing the history of a country, it is common practice to briefly mention its "pre-history" as well, especially when it is so noteworthy as in this case.--] 09:50, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

:: I also favor Ramallite's proposal. Many if not most of today's states are recent creations. Show me a continuity in ], a country which was split numerous times and even moved, but its intro says ''"The Polish state was formed over 1,000 years ago..."'' There is no evidence that the continuity of Jewish presence in the land was interrupted, and wherever Jews lived or wandered, they kept "BaShana haBaa B'Yerushalaim", and that is fact, not POV. ]&larr;]] 10:27, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

It is grossly POV, but clearly I am in a minority on this point so I won't argue about it further. ] 11:30, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

:Just to stir the pot a little, the article on India has, in the opening section, the statement "Four major world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism have originated from India." OTOH, the article on the United States does not mention it being the birthplace of Mormonism. ]<sup><small><font color="DarkGreen">]</font></small></sup> 20:38, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

I agree with Adam here. While India or Poland have not always been ''states'', they have always been India and Poland. Saying that Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. originated from India is clearly referring to India as a geographical entity of long standing. Israel is not a geographical entity of long standing. In fact, until 1948, that area had not been called "Israel" since the 8th century BC! And the area that was called Israel in the 8th century BC was not at all the same as the area called Israel today. The main center of the ancient Kingdom of Israel was in the northern part of what is now the West Bank ("Samaria" to the Revisionists). Much of the rest of the kingdom was in what is now Jordan. The only substantial part of ancient Israel that is in the present day state is Galilee. So saying that "Israel" was the birthplace of Christianity just seems wrong. (Plus, the key events of Christianity took place in old Jerusalem, which is not considered to be part of the current State of Israel by most people outside Israel). It's fine to talk about earlier history in the history section, but I don't see why it should be discussed in the intro. ] ] 15:39, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

'''Note''': More (most?) scholars believe that it is more likely that Persia was the actual 'birthplace' of Judaism. Also, I was not raised to believe the bible stories so for me it isn't difficult to acknowledge that the probable birthplace of Christianity was Rome, and not Jerusalem. --] 02:10, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

While Judaism as it came to be codified during the Exile and a bit after may have originated in Babylon (''not'' Persia), this was simply a further development of an already existing religious movement. I think most scholars would agree that the so-called JE elements of Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers; most of Deuteronomy; most of the Deuteronomistic History (that is to say, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings); parts of Isaiah and Jeremiah; and most of Hosea, Amos, and Nahum, at least, originated in the Divided Kingdoms before the Exile - some parts may be older. Some scholars would dispute this - I have seen people arguing that the Hebrew Bible is barely older than the Dead Sea Scrolls - but I am quite dubious that they are anywhere near a majority. As to Christianity, whatever the historicity of Jesus, it most certainly did not arise in Rome, but somewhere in the Roman East. The genuine Epistles of Paul are certainly first century documents, and indicate an origin for Christianity in the Judaean area. The Gospels and Acts are somewhat later, but are still near enough in time that it's hard to see how a Roman religion would come so quickly to be associated with the Jews. ] ] 07:03, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

:I care little about the scriptures when I'm talking about origins of either Judaism or Christianity. I know that Paul found his non-Jewish god on the way to Damascus but I'm a secular Jew. I was forced to read the Torah as a kid and have studied NT and other books a bit in later years. After studying philosophical theology I appreciate that there is other sources of knowledge than what's been written down and preserved by Rabbis and priests. I believe that Misplaced Pages should rely less on the scriptures and more on academic papers, that deals more with the history of language, shared rites, trade, architecture, name of gods, semiotics etc. Judaism was a 'work in progress' for quite some time, a religion almost always 'start' before the 'designated starting point' that is later preached. There's a lot of infighting in the academic world over where Judaism originated; Mesopotamia, Babylon, Sumer, or even India - almost no one with credibility claims it was in the geographic area that today constitutes Israel. One thing is certian, Judaism is probably older than both detractors and supporters have previously thought.
:To say that the birthplace of Christianity is Rome may be sacrireligious, but since there were so many competing 'pre-Christian' schools spread out in Egypt, Judea, Syria, Greece, etc, that later 'merged' together in Rome to form what we now know as Christianity you would either have to credit Rome or say that the birthplace was the general area of Northern Africa, the Middle East and Southern Europe. --] 09:10, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
::This looks contradictory to me. Judaism has roots all over the place which makes ''them'' the birthplaec of Judaism, yet Christianity's birthplace is where all the bits came together, i.e., Rome? (I must say, by the way, that several Eastern Orthodox churches may passionately dispute Rome as birthplace of Christianity). Anyway, as far as I know, Judaism does not associate itself to any earlier relogion, so in that sense, Judaism originated in Palestine -- anything predating the Israelite period is not considered "Judaism" by Judaism. But if you're looking for earlier roots, you may as well say Judaism originated in Africa, where we all originate. I have to admit I'm no scholar on the subject, so would you kindly provide some reference indicating that the ''prevailing'' theory on the origins of Judaism and Christianity is that they are indeed where you claim they are?--] 14:25, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

:::I figured you would ask. What I wrote earlier was extremely simplified, and so will this paragraph be (due to the topic). You say that ''"anything predating the Israelite period is not considered "Judaism" by Judaism"''. Yes, of course you will have Rabbis saying that, just like you will have priests saying that Christianity started when Mary got impregnated by the Holy Spirit. I understand that most orthodox believers of any religion will be reluctant to accept academic research that contradicts their beliefs. According to the scrolls the family of the Hebrew patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) had its chief seat in Harran (Turkey) but later migrated to the geographic area that now constitutes Lebanon/Israel. According to Academia the tribal structure and belief systems of this particular Israelite culture can be traced to somewhere in the Mesopotamia region. What's undisputed is that Judaism did not begin on a primitive level and it did not originate out of Israel. Moses' covenants from ''ehye asher'' YHWH, was a significant new chapter in Judaism, but not the first.
:::Christianity, unlike Judaism, didn't have a long continuing history, and it has more historic records detailing its beginning. Many scholars is of the idea that Jesus and his followers regarded themselves as Jews who operated within the Judaic faith. The followers/heretics scattered and formed different congregations, often at odds with each other. I realize that it is problematic to say that Rome was the birthplace of Christianity, but it was in Rome (Bishop ], and onwards) where the different movements, together with Roman cults (], etc) and Greek philosophy was incorporated into what would form the basics of Christianity.
::: is always a good source in my opinion. --] 08:18, 28 September 2005 (UTC) (secular, not an atheist)
::::If you don't mind, I'd like to make sure I understand. I can easily see Judaism and Christianity having some sort of evolutional phase (I never considered the mythological story as historical fact anyway), but are you sure these phases of "proto-Judaism" and "proto-Christianity" are commonly regarded as actually part of Judaism and Christianity? Is that where the line is commonly drawn by scholars? Humans, I gather, originated from apes, yet it would be incorrect to say that those apes were humans. I'm not even sure there's concensus amongst scholars about from which stage onwards they were considered "humans". So if I understand you correctly, you claim that most scholars claim that there were Jews in Mesopotamia, Persia or even India before they migrated to the Levant, while the various movements predating Clement are not considered Christian. Is that correct?--] 18:51, 28 September 2005 (UTC)

:::::You can't really compare the 'evolution' of Christianity to the 'evolution' of Judaism. Christianity's early history resembles (in these respects) Islam, while the development of Judaism could be compared to the development of Buddhism.
:::::Theologians and historians alike agree that Christianity is no older than 2005 years, I think that there isn't many historians who thinks that the religion is younger than 1705 years. As for exactly where and when it became a religion will probably always be up for debate. Before year xxx there was Christian cults/sects that would later form Christianity (i.e. a somewhat coherent belief system). I wouldn't put the idea of Rome as a birthplace in a Misplaced Pages article because the theory is a bit simplistic and doesn't take certain aspects into consideration. I would however argue that it was in Rome where much came together.
:::::Judaism is completely different, nothing came together when the Israelite culture migrated to the Lebanon/Israel area, all the basic features was already there. The faith was centered around law, rituals, etc that had a continuing history going way back in time. The Hebrew patriarchs were not part of a cult, they had inherited the Judaic faith, a structured system of religious beliefs, from their forefathers. And coming Jewish generations did not drastically alter the faith in such a way to constitute a new religion. I don't think there's a consensus among scholars exactly when the early Israelite tribes became Jews (I'm pretty sure it was after the ape period). Some say the Judaic faith is 5000 years old, while others say 4000 years. I think most agree that there were Jews in Mesopotamia, but just how Jewish they were is up for debate. I wouldn't mind though if someone with more knowledge than me would correct me if I'm mistaken about anything. --] 01:16, 29 September 2005 (UTC)

This is all very interesting, but completely irrelevant. Wherever Judaism and Christianity originated, they did not originate in the State of Israel, which is the topic of this article. I will continue to delete any statements about this matter in the opening section. The reference to Judaism is relevant to the History section, and that is why I will move it to. The reference to Christianity has no relevance whatever. ] 02:08, 29 September 2005 (UTC)

== Map problem ==

The map shown in the article's "Geography" section includes the Golan Heights as part of Israel proper. This is contrary to the internationally accepted boundaries of Israel. I'm going to look for a map that excludes the Golan Heights, hopefully one that indicates the dispute (is there even a dispute? The ] article notes that the Israeli government has denied that its laws regarding the territory amount to annexation.). ] 11:37, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

Found this map: . It indicates the GH as "Israeli occupied." Does anyone know if CIA documents are public domain? Will look for latest Israeli government pronouncements re: GH. ] 11:42, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

:Contrary to what happened in Gaza and the WB, the Golan Heights were annexed by Israel after 1967, and I personally have seen a lot of maps include it but not the WB or GS... I don't know the UN position on that but I would leave it as it is. --] <sup>'']''</sup> 15:18, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

::UN Position is that it's occupied territory. I'm going to change the map; I encourage you to insert some language about Israel's position. I wasn't able (at least not with the energy I was willing to put into it) to find a position on GH on the Israeli government website. ] 17:22, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

US government materials are all public domain. At any rate, Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem is akin to Morocco's annexation of ]. It is unrecognized by any other country, and a map purporting to show "Israel" should distinguish between the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, on the one hand, and Israel proper on the other. ] ] 15:30, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks John! ] 17:22, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

I don't think it is correct to say that Israel has annexed the Golan. It has extended Israeli law to the Golan, but I don't think it claims it is part of Israel. ] 14:37, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

Adam is correct, Israel has all but officially annexed the Golan Heights, but has never officially done so.] 14:56, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

:Doesn't matter what Israel officially has or hasn't claimed. The article shouldn't describe Israel from an Israeli (right-wing) POV, but rather from a global. The UN position (and the U.S., EU, etc) is that GH is occupied territory. Israel, officially, doesn't have nuclear weapons, but all reliable encyclopedias and reports disregards that as there is plenty of evidence that Israel's official position is contrary to the reality of the situation. --] 01:48, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

That may be, but to treat the West Bank just like the Golan Heights (on a map) ignores the legal and political realities. They are simply not the same, so a map should, at least in some way, distinguish between their legal/political status. The Golan Heights is not, officially, a part of Israel, but it is more a part of the country than the West Bank...that's just reality, whether the rest of the world the EU the UN blah blah blah recognize it or not.

Oh and equating Israeli with right wing? Unnecessary slam and cheapshot...YES...yes it was. Tell the Labor Party that its right wing. lol. That YOUR POV showing there. ;)

:Right-wing was not to equate with Israeli but to separate from my Jewish Israeli siblings (and left-wing Israeli who abhor the bs propaganda). I don't hide my POV, read my comment under the section title 'This version'. Believe however that Wiki articles should be NPOV. If you're presenting a minority view you should present it as such and not write it as undisputable fact and then say whatever the rest of the world thinks is irrelevant. --] 02:29, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

Yeah I never said that the rest of the world should be ignored, I don't know where you got that, but ok. I'm reverting the page one more time, because the language I'm reverting to was the ORIGINAL language int he article. If YOU want to change it then YOU need to discuss it, the burden is on you as the changer. Also, where do you get off callling it in "bad faith?" What th heck is that suppose to mean? That's a pretty seriosu accusation, please don't tell me you just threw that around to try and initimdate me. Assume good faith remember? Please tell me you had a real good reason for saying that other than that I simply disagreed with you.

Look, YOU made changes to the article that need to be discussed first, so until they are and a consensu is reached the articleshould simply remain the way it was. That's how it works here. Feel free to back up your chages with citations, I'm actually very interested ot know what the law is in Israel. I know very little about it. I really invite you to open up a discussion first. Seriously.] 02:38, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

: No, anyone can edit Misplaced Pages. No approval need to be sought. If you revert my edits for no other reason than that you felt I should have asked your permission you're acting in bad faith. You should assume good faith regarding my edits and if you have any questions you can ask me on the talkpage. I edited a sentence that said that the Palestinian government refused to dismatle its terrorist groups. Not even Sharon believes that Abbas operates terroristgroups. Why did you revert my edit? Do you honestly believe that cheap propaganda like that belong in Misplaced Pages? --] 03:58, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

That's not the definition of bad fautrh, my good friend and I never assumed bad faith on your part, you're the one doing that remember? You should jsut explain yourself int eh talk page and provide some support for substantial edits like that with some citation, the burden is on you not everyone else. I also never at least intentionally (it may been there without me seeing it I can admit that I screwed up) removed a sentence that said that the Palestinian government refused to dismatle its terrorist groups. That doesn't sound familiar to me at all. If that was the case I apologize, that's not an accurate statement. But you might be thinking of someone else on that one.

Oops, look like someone beat me to it. Good. I didn't want to get into an edit war tonight. lol.] 02:40, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

::This whole issue will be more easily resolved if editors actually cite sources. For example, ] gives Israel the highest rating for political rights, and religious freedom, and the equivalent of India or Brazil for civil rights. . Our opinions as editors are not what is relevant, please cite references to move discussion forward. Otherwise, inevitable revert wars result. --] 02:42, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks Good, you are correct.] 02:45, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

: Thanks. I provide sources from United Nations, CIA, EU, Harvard, Oxford, Dalai Lama. If ] wants me to I can throw in Desmond Tutu for good measure. Freedom House just doesn't measure up. Look, no one benefits if this article continues to be cheap propaganda. It doesn't win any minds, it alienates. Let's describe reality instead. --] 03:32, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

== Good faith / Bad faith ==

"In most respects, non-Jewish Israelis enjoy full political and civic equality (although some laws favour Jewish citizens)."

This sentence is not only dishonest but also dumb. Blacks in America also had full political and civic equality in the 1950s (in most respect, discounting a few laws that favoured whites). That's the dishonest part. The dumb part is this is the very flawed logic (Do you still have 'full' when you take away from 'full'?) and poor usage of words.

"For over 3,000 years, Jews have considered the Land of Israel to be their homeland"

Really? Quite a generalization. Wittgenstein didn't. The nomadic Jewish tribes of Babylonia didn't. Kabbala followers who believe the Land of Israel isn’t a geographic location doesn’t. And countless others.

"…cannot be restrated until the Palestinian government dismantles its terrorist groups."

The Palestinian government has terrorist groups? According to whom? What kind of Wiki:NPOV is this?

"Throughout the centuries the size of Jewish population in the land fluctuated with the population in the region of the present day Israel, numbering approximately 20-25,000 in 1881 of a total population of 470,000."

Dishonest, an average reader will read this and believe there have always been a substantial Jewish population in Israel. Why was 1881 chosen, why not 1000 or 1500 or 1800 or maybe 1850?
--] 03:08, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

Some valid points there, although the analogy with Blacks in the US is a very weak one. Blacks in the Southern US in the 1950s did ''not'' have civic or political equality. They couldn't vote, to state the most obvious point. Israeli Arabs can and do vote. Are there segregated bus-stops and hotels in Israel? I don't think so. It is true that not all Jews considered Israel to be their homeland. The reference to the PA being responsible for terrorist groups is obviously wrong. ] 03:27, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

:*Blacks in the U.S. had full civic and political equality (except voting, segregated bus-stops etc).
::What an astonishing statement. Haven't you heard of segregation? Miscegenation laws? Lynching? What do you think the civil rights movement was about? ] 11:15, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
:::It's not only astonishing, it's also a dishonest and stupid statement. That's was the point. I sought to illuminate how dishonest your sentence about Israeli Arab equality was. --] 14:06, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
:*Can Israeli Arabs vote for Hamas or any other of the popular political organisations? Or is the voting stuff just a show with no real significance.
::They vote for the parties of their choice, usually Arab nationalists or communists. ] 11:15, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
::: Do you have any (credible) source that says that Israeli Arabs can vote for the political entities that they want to have represent them? --] 19:02, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
::::Nobody in Israel can vote for the political entities they want to have represent them, we can only vote for registered parties. And that is mandated by Israeli law.--] 14:53, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
:::::So if political organizations that Israeli Arabs view as 'looking after them' aren't allowed to register as political parties, can you still say that Isreli Arabs are not discriminated against in terms of voting rights? (The blacks in apartheid era South Africa had certain voting rights, ANC was however not allowed to become a political party.) --] 19:02, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
::::::In Israel, a party can be disqualified, in theory, if it either supports armed struggle against the state or it undermines Israel's democratic and Jewish nature. In practice, this happened only twice in Israel's history - in 1965 a socialist party associated with the al-Ard movement, and in 1988 Kahane's Kach party. As for your question -- it would be discrimination if either by law, or in practice, Arab-supported parties were disqualified and Jewish-supported parties were not. I know of no evidence that this is the case at present. And I do not recall Hamas ever applying to qualify for general elections in Israel, nor do I think they would be very popular in Israel.--] 22:03, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

:::::Let me get this straight. In Israel, it is a matter of law that everyone must vote for a registered party that they hate - or is it is the law that all political parties must have absolutely no public support whatsoever? Why would this law be necessary, isn't it automatic? Sounds a lot like the USA, but maybe an even more advanced democracy! :-)] 17:00, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
::::::They can hate or like the party they're voting for, either way, it has to be a registered party or their vote won't count. I personally know very few people that are perfectly happy with the party they vote for, and they're all fools or senile or both.--] 18:12, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

--] 14:13, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
:*Are there segregated schools, roads, workplaces in Israel? Yes.
:*Yes, it is true that ''most'' Jews throughout history have ''not'' considered the geographical area that is now Israel their homeland.
:*If the reference was obviously wrong and I changed it, how come three different people changed it back within seconds/minutes?
:--] 03:42, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
::*Schools are segregated, but roads and workplaces are not (although they are in the Occupied Territories)
:::Also segregated are: the miliary, government agencies, housing projects, and even some public restrooms. --] 14:13, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
::::In theory, there has been a mild positive discrimination policy in governmental bodies recently, although its effect is questionable. Note that Oscar Abu Razek, an Israeli Palestinian, is the director general of the Israel Ministry of the Interior. And I would like to hear more about your claim that there are segregated public restrooms in Israel.--] 14:50, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
:::::Have you ever had a Palestinian friend, I mean, outside the office and not counting the local restaurant owner who is friendly to everyone? If you have they would tell you. Me and my 'Muslim looking' Palestinian friend had an experience last spring - I walked in to the restroom, when he tried to enter a security guard pushed him back and told him that the restroom was out of function, all while other people passed them by to enter. I realize this is just anecdotal evidence so I wouldn't put it in the article. Nevertheless, very few (countries, institutes, faculties, agencies, etc) doubt that segregation (that violates basic human rights) of Palestinians in Israel exist. Do you? --] 19:21, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
::::::There sure is discrimination in Israel in many areas, and I'm sure your friend has a hard time. However, ] is institutionalized discrimination, which is a far cry from the instance of racism you have enountered. Had there been segregation, the security guard would have told your friend the restroom was for Jews only or something of the sort, and not make up an excuse. The guard was racist, perhaps the person who ran the place was racist, and there are a lot of racist people in Israel, but segregation is when it is made official policy. And there are plenty of discriminating official policies in Israel without you needing to make them up, but there most certainly is no policy of segregation in public restrooms. Being a young guy with a beard, I get hassled a lot by security guards myself, I can tell you they are not always the most enlightened or intelligent people in the world.--] 22:22, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
:::::::I agree that my usage of the word segregation in regard to public restrooms was less fortunate. I do however believe that institutionalized discrimination exist in many areas that Israeli Jews are not aware of, that even if certain facilities doesn't have a 'No Arabs' sign, the standard practice of military and civilian security is to keep the Palestinians out.
::::::::You are absolutely right.--] 07:27, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
:::::::But as you say, there is plenty of discriminating official policies in Israel, segregated schools, military, etc etc etc. So for the article to state that Israeli Arabs enjoy full political and civic equality, when in actuality the situation more resemble an apartheid system, is less than honest. No? (and being able to vote doesn't mean that equality has been achieved) --] 00:14, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
::::::::How about just being accurate? Describe how there is de facto discrimination despite de jure equality. --]] 00:22, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
:::::::::I understand what you mean, there is not, however, any . --] 00:40, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
::::::::::Should there be an article about ]? Such an article may draw some heat, but I think it can pull through if it is well-balanced. That's where such info should go.--] 07:27, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
:::::::::::Sure, we can have a ] article, but that doesn't mean that this article shouldn't mention (compare/contrast) the legal status of Israeli Arabs in Israel, the domestic turmoil. It's one of the defining characteristics of the nation of Israel, and a very noteworthy 'topic' of international concern. --] 09:40, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

::*Hamas is not a registered party in Israel, so nobody can vote for them in Israel. Israelis, and Palestinian Israelis in particular, can vote for any registered party they like, although Hamas would probably have been banned in Israel for a number of reasons (not all of which are particularly democratic).--] 10:44, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

== Appeasment ==

:''In 1939 the British gave in to Arab pressure and abandoned the idea of a Jewish national homeland, as part of a policy of appeasment favored by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.''
Is it a fact that the British abandoned the idea of a Jewish national homeland as part of a policy of ]?--] 11:07, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

No. That is a very silly statement and should be deleted. ] 11:15, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

This entire article should be reworked. Last week I discovered that a CIA map had been photoshopped (references to occupied territories removed) and was used in several Israel related articles. People who see that map assumes that it really is CIA, and not original research on the part of an editor. I pointed this out and ] acknowledged that it was dishonest, but he also encouraged the photoshop artist on ] to go ahead and manipulate the image. My personal POV is that propaganda always backfires. One of the admins working on this article (not Humus sapiens or Roeeyaron) is a registered member of Ha'ihud Ha'Leumi, that's allright - the problem is that he (along with a group of likeminded editors here) are distorting reality to such a degree that no one that reads these articles will take them seriously. I care about Israel, I have (Jewish) family there but the growing fascism is contrary to everything that is great with the Jewish culture. This article will get cleaned up sooner or later, let's make it sooner. --] 14:43, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

: This looks like a personal attack but I am going to assume good faith for now. Perhaps you misunderstood my comments in ]. As a matter of fact I strongly warned him against silently altering images. ]&larr;]] 09:52, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
::I probably misunderstood your comments and I apologize if you felt what I wrote was a personal attack. I read "Create a new image, get another or edit this one but please do it openly. In this particular case, I would make a copy of that image, provide a link to its origin and explain the changes and the reasons" which I (mistakenly then) thought was an encouragement to manipulate the CIA image. I guess that I also was surprised that you created that image, Roeeyaron shortly after photoshopped it, yet you didn't notice the changes until I, a few weeks (?) later, pointed out the dishonesty. --] 10:10, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

::: Lovely. Now you quote me out of context. I said: "if the image is presented as coming from a particular source, it should not be doctored." Yes, I updated that image with no alterations but didn't add it to my watchlist. Remember, "propaganda always backfires"? ]&larr;]] 10:25, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
:::: Yes, but what made me write that I felt you encouraged Roeeyaron was the two sentences included above. Since I understood those two sentences to be contrary to the lead-in sentence you just included I first thought that you were either a bit confused or that you just included the first sentence to keep your back clear from possible charges of vandalism. I assumed good faith and didn't report the alteration of the image. If I made any wrong assumptions regarding your motives I apologize. It does, ] always backfires while views, opinions and ideas lives on. --] 10:44, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

== Desmond Tutu ==

Does Desmond Tutu's opinion belong in the introduction to the article about Israel? In what capacity does he state his opinion -- is he a reputable authority on the human rights situation in Israel?--] 22:30, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
: Would you prefer ? --] 00:31, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
*I believe it's his moral, not his academic or professional authority, that's being invoked here. But no, the entire "human rights" thing doesn't belong in the introduction at all. --]] 23:09, 24 September 2005 (UTC)
*] is a self important anti-zionist leftist, his opinion is in no way relavent. ] 00:01, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
:Well, if Tutu fits your definition of a self important anti-zionist, then 99.9% of the world (including 50% of Israeli Jews) are self important anti-zionists. That would mean your opinions represents such a small minority that they needn't even be considered. --] 00:25, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
:: Don't kid yourself, less than 10% of Israeli jews voted for anti-zionist parties. ] remains a leftist ], all the same. ] 04:59, 28 September 2005 (UTC)
::: I have an uncle who says that anyone who is left of ] is a leftist anti-zionist idiot. --] 09:04, 28 September 2005 (UTC)
::::I wish he were right.--] 18:51, 28 September 2005 (UTC)
*Doesn't matter. Both the Freedom House and the Desmond Tutu sentences aren't really appropriate for the introduction, anyway. It's best to have things in an intro that aren't arguments. So I yanked 'em. --]] 00:32, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
:Agreed. "It is official policy to preserve Israel as a Jewish state in both an ethnic and a religious sense." is sufficient for the introduction. The article should however go into more detail regarding the ] of Israeli Arabs. --] 01:50, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

I agree that this article should be rewritten, but it will be near impossible under Misplaced Pages's present rule to achieve a stable, factual and NPOV article because it is attracts so many POV editors (from both sides) and is constantly being fought over. I might have a try when I am feeling masochistic. ] 05:37, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
:Considering that you pushed for the sentence "Israeli Arabs enjoy full political and civic equality in Israel" to be included in the introduction, I sincerely doubt that if you rewrote the article I would find the result factual and NPOV. After looking at your history, it's kind of hard to assume good faith regarding your self-proclaimed position as an unbiased voice of reason. As I've said, this and all the other Israel-Palestine related articles will get cleaned up from the ludicrous rightwing pro-Israeli POV that saturates all the pages, it's only a matter of time. ] always backfires. Ten years ago my Jewish friends were angry with me for not being 'loyal enough' in regard to Israel, today most of them have nothing but contempt for the Israeli Jews that are fundamentalists. --] 10:00, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

I have no particularly strong views one way or the other on this issue, unlike most people who edit on Israel-related articles. I support Israel's right to exist and to defend itself against terrorism. I also support a Palestinian state in Gaza and most of the West Bank. For every editor who thinks Misplaced Pages has a "ludicrous rightwing pro-Israeli POV," there is an editor who thinks Misplaced Pages is ludicrously left-wing and anti-Israel. Every time I edit on this subject I get called (a) an anti-Semite and (b) an Israeli agent, so I conclude I am more or less on the right track. ] 11:09, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
:If you say so. BTW, Ariel Sharon also support a Palestinian state in Gaza and most of the West Bank so I guess he, just like you, is unbiased. Go figure. --] 11:41, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Sharon is Prime Minister of Israel and has never claimed to be unbiased. In any case he is not a Misplaced Pages editor (as far as I know). ] 12:29, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
:I'm aware of that. :) --] 16:49, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

== Borders of Israel ==

Alright, so recently there seems to be a disagreement about the borders of Israel... so put your opinions here and play nice. ''']'''<span style="background-color:#C1FF5F">]|]</span> 04:50, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

:The ''real'' dispute is, are Israel's attempted annexations of East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights legitmate? Neither of these, however, affect whether or not Israel has borders along the Gaza Strip or the West Bank; the East Jerusalem matter might move the position of the West Bank border, but no nation -- not even Israel -- claims all of the West Bank for Israel. And no nation -- not even Israel -- claims even a stitch of the Gaza Strip for Israel. ] 05:09, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

::Hmm... I guess this is whole Taiwan/China, Palestine/Israel territory issue. I would tend to support that the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are independant from the government of Israel and thus should not be considered part of the state of Israel... would like to hear more opinions. ''']'''<span style="background-color:#C1FF5F">]|]</span> 05:12, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

This discussion should be about what the article says, not about the whole issue. This is not a chatroom. ] 05:37, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Israel only has legal borders with Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan - you could maybe argue there are borders with Syria too. israel cannot have borders with west bank and Gaza strip because there have been no negotations to decide what those borders should be and no peace agreements which show their paths. - John.

*Syria is a recognised state and its borders are also recognised and so far as I know undisputed. Every country in the world except Israel recognises the Golan as being within Syria - and even Israel has not explicity rejected this by fornally annexing it. Therefore Israel has a border with Syria, and that border runs where it ran before 1967.
*Israel's borders with the West Bank and Gaza have no legal status, because the West Bank and Gaza are not a state or part of any other state. They were part of the UN Mandated Territory of Palestine until 1948, when they were assigned by the UN to a Palestinian state which never came into existence because the Arabs rejected the Partition Plan. They then became ''terra nullius'' (nobody's land). Jordan annexed the West Bank in 1950, but this was recognised only by the UK, and in any case Jordan renounced its rights to the territory in 1988. Egypt did not annex Gaza, so it also remains ''terra nullius.'' The pre-1967 Israeli borders with these territories were only ceasefires line and not international frontiers.
*One could, if one wanted, argue that Israel is the only successor state to pre-1948 Palestine and thus owns these territories by right of vacation and conquest, but I don't think Israel has ever actually argued that. This is, however, presumably the grounds on which Israel has annexed East Jerusalem, although I haven't seen the argument put.
*It follows from this that the border between Israel and any future Palestinian state will be entirely a matter for negotiation, and that the pre-1967 "border" will have no standing in those negotiations.
] 08:25, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

::What the article says in the sentence in question should be about the physical dimensions of Israel, not about the prospects of future negotiations. To omit the Gaza Strip and the West Bank from the sentence gives the impression that Israel ends only where Egypt and Jordan begin. (That Israel is the "only successor state ..." is a pretty remarkable statement from someone who had just protested that the discussion should not be about the whole issue, Adam.) We do not need to know where exactly the borders between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and Israel are for the purpose of the sentence; we only need to know that they are there. I'm pretty confident that no legal claim has ever been made that the Gaza Strip and the West Bank should disappear, and Israel should acquire all of their territory; Israel certainly has never made this claim. Why should an article in Misplaced Pages implicitly make this assertion? ] 15:58, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Why should the article explicitly assert that Israel has borders with the Gaza Strip and West Bank when it does not? an incorrect explicit assertion is obviously worse to have in an article than your claim that there is some implicit assertion in it. ] 18:48, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

is there no-one who can answer this question? ] 12:07, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

:Israel does have borders with the West Bank, but they are not "international borders". Israeli law does not apply to most of the West Bank (except E. Jerusalem) and one could argue that the line where Israeli law stops being applied and military law starts is in fact a 'border'. Many official government maps do not include the WB, although some do. In any case, Israel does not regard the WB officially as part of its territory, otherwise I'd have an Israeli ID card myself and there would be no such thing as checkpoints and closures. I'm still confused as to what's the point of having this argument anyway. ] <sup><small><font color="DarkBlue">]</font></small></sup> 13:03, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

The argument that Israel does not have a border with the West Bank and Gaza seems to be based on a very narrow interpretation of the word "border" to mean "a line drawn on a map," and to a very particular interpretation of the green line as not being a border. As Ramallite points out, the Green Line (with the exception of East Jerusalem, which has been annexed) does form a sort of border between the State of Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Whether or not the exact state of the final border will be a matter for negotiation, the basic fact is that at present, the Gaza Strip and the vast majority of the West Bank (again accepting East Jerusalem) are not considered by anyone to form part of the State of Israel. Whether or not they form part of any other state, it seems clear that the State of Israel does border on them, and I fail to see what harm is to be done by listing them as bordering on Israel. ] ] 06:41, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
* That's not true, many people think that the Gaza Strip and West Bank, are inalienable parts of the State of Israel. Other people take the position that Gaza is not, but that the West Bank is inalienable. ] 04:56, 28 September 2005 (UTC)
::They may think whatever they like, but the fact is that Israel does not claim sovereignty over these territories.--] 18:51, 28 September 2005 (UTC)

== Occupied vs captured/controlled/etc ==

I notice a lot of editors here prefer to use other words than 'occupied' to describe the occupied territories. I suggest we use the correct word 'occupied' and then include a sentence along the lines of "However, some Israeli Jews do not consider the territories to be occupied but...".

Why the word 'occupied' should be used in Misplaced Pages articles is because: , , , , , , and so forth.
--] 23:04, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
:Aside from any other issue your change is completely grammatically incorrect; you can't "occupy" the West Bank from Jordan, you can only "capture" it from Jordan. ]<sup><small><font color="DarkGreen">]</font></small></sup> 23:15, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
::Then we can fix the grammar issue, but agree on that the word 'occupied' should be used. --] 23:47, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
::I'm curious, why is it "completely gramatically incorrect"? Many phrase it that way. --] 23:53, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
:::There is of course absolutely no need for "occupy" to have an indirect object; I ''occupy'' the chair I am sitting in, but I do it ''from'' no one. ] 00:16, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

== Capital ==

The CIA World Factbook , source of the much disputed map in this same page proclaims the capital to be Jerusalem.

Let's try to keep politics out of this wherever possible. The footnote makes very clear the world's position on Jerusalem as Israel's capital. And if I remember correctly, the US hasn't made a statement either way.

--] <sup>'']''</sup> 23:55, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
:Sometimes when you "try to keep politics out" you're actually being political. As for this particular issue, if the ] has an official position on this, we should go with that position. I gather they're the ones who 'decides the rules' (for good and bad) when it comes to international law. --] 00:27, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Which city a country decides should be its capital is not a matter of international law, or a matter for other countries to "recognise" or "not recognise." Since Jerusalem is the capital of Israel both ''de facto'' and under Israeli law, the article should say that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, with the appropriate footnote. ] 01:00, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
:Isn't the problem that Jerusalem (under internation law) might not be considered as a city belonging to Israel, and thus can't be the capital? A (poor) analogy: Russia couldn't (under international law) declare Kiev as their capital. --] 01:28, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

That is only true of East Jerusalem. All countries which recognise Israel recognise that West Jeruslem is part of Israel. ] 01:31, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
:But Israel declared Jersusalem to be the capital, not West Jerusalem. --] 01:35, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Legally there is no such place as West Jerusalem. In 1950 "Jerusalem" under Israeli law obviously meant "that part of Jerusalem which is part of Israel." Today Israel claims all of Jerusalem, but it is not necessary to recognise that claim to recognise that Jerusalem, however defined, is the capital of Israel. ] 01:41, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
:Maybe you are right. --] 01:57, 27 September 2005 (UTC)


== Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 1 December 2024 ==
I think I basically agree with Adam on this one. Certainly nothing other than Jerusalem can be seen as Israel's capital. ] ] 06:34, 27 September 2005 (UTC)


{{edit extended-protected|Israel|answered=yes}}
==Opening section==
In 21st century history, please change
{{TextDiff|A majority of mostly US-based Middle East scholars believe Israel's actions in Gaza were intended to make it uninhabitable for Palestinians, and 75% of them say Israel's actions in Gaza constitute either genocide or "major war crimes akin to genocide".|A majority of mostly US-based Middle East scholars who were polled believe Israel's actions in Gaza were intended to make it uninhabitable for Palestinians, and 75% of them say Israel's actions in Gaza constitute either genocide or "major war crimes akin to genocide".}}


"mostly US-based Middle East scholars" is not an identifiable group, the phrase as written doesn't have a concrete definition. Which Middle East scholars' beliefs are being talked about here? The scholars who were polled are being talking about. Adding language that clarifies the source of these statistics and defines the group in question could make the statistics more useful. Thank you for your consideration. ] (]) 17:00, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
People should stop stuffing every fact and opinion they can think of into the opening section (a chronic Misplaced Pages weakness). I have removed some of this stuff, which belongs elsewhere in this article or in other articles. I have also removed some egregious Wikification (another Misplaced Pages vice). ] 08:12, 27 September 2005 (UTC)


:From the given citation, added "758" before "mostly" and "polled in 2024 by ]" before "believe" to clarify matters. ] (]) 17:42, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
:Which facts, why? On first glance, that seems to be an elitist approach. The lead is instructive, I think, as lengthy as it is, since it answers a lot of key questions the average reader might have right off the bat. Similarly, in the sense of linking them to various pertinent articles or sections thereof; I don't think it's above the MoS' 10%, perhaps a few less topical ones could be omitted, but "horrible" seems overstated. ] 09:13, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
== "]" listed at ] ==
]
The redirect <span class="plainlinks"></span> has been listed at ] to determine whether its use and function meets the ]. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at '''{{slink|Misplaced Pages:Redirects for discussion/Log/2024 December 7#"Israel"}}''' until a consensus is reached. <!-- Template:RFDNote --> ] <i><sup style="display:inline-flex;rotate:7deg;">]</sup></i> 15:00, 7 December 2024 (UTC)


== Lede ==
Wikification of common nouns is nearly always superfluous and unnecessary, as well as ugly. You also restored at least one ungrammatical sentence, plus the completely irrelevant statement about the supposed orgins of Christianity. This is an about about '''the State of Israel''', which was founded in 1948. It is not about the ]. Encyclopaedia articles are supposed to be about what they are about, and furthermore they are supposed to be structured in a logical way, and not have everything crammed into the opening section. ] 14:47, 27 September 2005 (UTC)


{{ping|Terrainman}} Are these your first edits to articles on WP that relate to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? If so, please familiarize yourself with ] and ] which states that adding contested content requires achieving consensus on the talk page, not reverting. This responsibility is known as onus lying with the inserter of the material. ] (]) 12:47, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
:I'm not really interested in discussing aesthetics or cosmetics at this juncture. The lead is not meant for people with PhDs in history nor people who know where all the pertinent articles are. The lead can touch on the territory encompassed by the country. Point is, you can unwikify, you can fix grammar, you can shorten sentences, etc., all while keeping the average reader in mind. Also, once again, I unwikify repeated terms from one paragraph to the next. Please be more careful when reverting. Anyway, I'd like to see what others have to say. ] 19:46, 27 September 2005 (UTC)


:Ok, thank-you. The information I added was to improve the context of the paragraph, in a much needed way. From what I can see, nothing contested was added. ] (]) 12:51, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
The less political analysis and POV in the intro, the better. ]<sup><small><font color="DarkGreen">]</font></small></sup> 20:00, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
::{{ping|Terrainman}} Your additions to the lede/lead were reverted so the material is by definition is now contested, meaning you will have to gain consensus for them in the talk page, not revert. ] (]) 12:54, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
:::I understand but your edit reason was to keep the brevity of the lead when my edit was rather brief in my view. It has been further edited by another user to make the additions more concise. ] (]) 13:14, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
::::{{ping|Terrainman}} Your additions still increased the material about the 1948 war from six to eight sentences in the lede. This needs to be trimmed even below six sentences. ] (]) 13:34, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::I understand since that para is already very long, however unfortunately the topic is extremely complicated; hence why it was the longest para in the lead long before my edit. My addition provided essential context in my view, I also received thanks for it and it has been refined since by another editor. In my view if this para is to be made more concise we need to explore other options for that. ] (]) 13:48, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
::::::{{ping|Terrainman}} Receiving thanks is not a measure of consensus, but discussion on the talk page. Your addition still duplicates mention of the UN partition plan in the second and third lede paragraphs, as well as non-summarizing elaborations on the Oslo Accords, which is also a duplicate mention in the third lede paragraph. ] (]) 14:03, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::::The first sentence of the 3rd paragraph explains that the partition plan failed, which is crucial context!
:::::::Regarding Oslo accords, it is not a duplication. The second mention references them in a sentence about progress since then. ] (]) 14:28, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
::::::::Furthermore, if we are setting this low a threshold in what is essential to the lead, there are multiple parts of the third paragraph which elaborate to a significant extend, rather than merely state the existence of key historical events which are in-fact needed to provide context for the rest of the paragraph. ] (]) 14:41, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::Then all should be trimmed. ] (]) 17:00, 25 December 2024 (UTC)
:Additionally, when you say Lede, do you mean Lead? I just want to be sure I am not missing something here. ] (]) 12:52, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
::Lede and Lead are legitimate alternative spellings; both refer to the intro material which, in Misplaced Pages, should summarize the major points of rest of the article. A major issue for many Misplaced Pages articles is putting too much stuff in the lede. ] (]) 05:05, 16 December 2024 (UTC)


== Minor edit Request ==
:Yet, if all what you consider to be POV is removed from the intro, we might end up with something that 97,5% of the world's population would consider not only POV, but also just plain wrong. Going down your route I might start to question whether the sentence that says Israel is a democracy couldn't be considered a dishonest exercise in "political analysis" since the UN defines a democracy as a nation that bestows equal rights to all its citizens.
:And what about the sentence "About twenty percent of the population are Arabs", why not use Palestinians here? Isn't that POV? And regarding your dislike for the word 'occupation', that you seem to believe is political in nature even though it's the word used by allies and foes of Israel alike. That sensitivity could also be used when analyzing other words in this article, what about "the armies of six Arab nations attacked the State of Israel", isn't 'attacked' POV? Shouldn't we change that to "the armies of six Arab nations uninvited entered the State of Israel"? No, because it would be silly, just like it's silly to use any other word than 'occupied'. Think about it. --] 06:06, 28 September 2005 (UTC)


Remove "synonymous with Canaan" from the lede.
*The UN also defines Libya as a suitable country to chair its Human Rights Commission, so its definitions should be treated with caution. A democracy is in fact a country in which all citizens get to vote to choose its government, and that is all. There are liberal and illiberal democracies. Russia is a democracy even though it massacres people in Chechnya.
:That's your POV, but whether Israel is a ] is still a matter of debate. (Many also question whether Putin's Russia is a democracy). ] prefers if we keep politics out of the intro, a solution would be to omit that sentence, it would also make the intoduction shorter and less "ugly". --] 12:06, 28 September 2005 (UTC)
*Israeli Arabs are indisputably Arabs: they are of Arab ethnicity and speak Arabic. Whether they are Palestinians is a matter of debate. They are Israeli citizens and not residents of any Palestinian territory, so in that sense they are not Palestinians. My understanding is that some chose to identify as Palestinians, some as Israelis, and some as simply Arabs.
:Yes, Kahane said that Palestinians were different Arabic tribes with no relation to each other. Excluding what the Palestinian themselves think and what Israeli Jews claim, the Palestinians are internationally recognized as a people, by every governemnt in the world (including the U.S.). No one is/isn't "undisputably" anything, Blond haired Jews share less DNA with the old Jewish generations than most of the Arabs now living in the Middle East. Anyway, excluding the word Palestinans from the part that describes the demographic makeup in the intro is political POV pushing. --] 12:06, 28 September 2005 (UTC)
*That Israel is occupying the Territories is clearly a fact and should be stated as such. There is nothing ''necessarily'' pejorative about the word. The US occupied Japan in 1945, much to the benefit of the Japanese as they now acknowledge.
] 09:29, 28 September 2005 (UTC)


1. The borders of ancient Canaan don't line up with modern day Israel.
== Avoiding POV terms ==


2. No real reason to mention ancient Canaan just like we don't mention that it's synonymous with British Mandatory Palestine or the Judea province of the Roman Empire.
As discussed , I'm going to start replacing the POV term "Israel" with the NPOV term "Zionist Entity" throughout Misplaced Pages beginning in a few days. Please leave comments at the link just given. ] 13:19, 28 September 2005 (UTC)
:That's retarded in so many ways. The name "Israel" is both correct and NPOV. --] 13:31, 28 September 2005 (UTC)
::Again, please leave comments at the link above. Thank you. ] 13:37, 28 September 2005 (UTC)
:::What you are suggesting betrays an anti-semitic agenda, I support any effort to have you banned (preferably as of now). --] 14:06, 28 September 2005 (UTC)
::::How intellectually interesting. Again, please leave comments at the above link. If this discussion is kept in one place, it will be easier for you to find consensus to support a ban of me, for example. ] 14:28, 28 September 2005 (UTC)
:::::No consensus would be necessary. If you knowingly commit vandalism, having announced it in advanced and been warned in advance, you'll just be summarily blocked. Don't waste your time or ours. --]] 15:35, 28 September 2005 (UTC)


3. The fact that Canaanites lives there is in the following sentence. ] (]) 22:47, 16 December 2024 (UTC)
Assuming you are serious, you will quickly be banned for vandalism, and quite rightly. ] 13:54, 28 September 2005 (UTC)


:{{done}} ] (]) 16:32, 19 December 2024 (UTC)
:Yet again, please leave comments at the link above. Thank you. ] 14:15, 28 September 2005 (UTC)
::Restore Canaan and rephrase to avoid implying synonymity. ] (]) 16:57, 25 December 2024 (UTC)
:::This didn't address the points they made. 'Variably known as' still conflicts with all three points here. ] (]) 17:56, 25 December 2024 (UTC)

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? view · edit Frequently asked questions Why is Jerusalem listed as Israel's capital in the infobox? Israel declares Jerusalem to be its capital, and has its seat of government there. However, the lack of international recognition is notable, hence the subtext was added "(limited recognition)" as the result of this RfC. For further information see Status of Jerusalem.


Putting in American financial support for Israel in the very first paragraph of the lead

Would it be appropriate to put in American financial backing for Israel over the years in the very first paragraph of the lead? I don't think so, but one user appeared to support the idea, so I thought to start a discussion. Pinging (RCSCott91SelfstudierABHammadEladkarmelCzelloGalamoreהאופה). VR (Please ping on reply) 17:20, 22 October 2024 (UTC)

@Vice regent, no, I do not think so. The article is not about the United States, and such prominent characterizations of bilateral support or dependence are best reserved for historical polities where the book is closed and the motor of history has moved on. Remsense ‥  17:28, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
My comment was tongue in cheek response. Selfstudier (talk) 17:31, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
No, WP:UNDUE. — Czello 18:07, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
No, that simply is not due. Horse Eye's Back (talk) 19:23, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
Of course not, the US provides aid of all kinds to tens of countries. Israel is a US Ally and so get military aid just like many NATO countries Fyukfy5 (talk) 20:11, 8 November 2024 (UTC)
@Fyukfy5: the point is that without the weapons sent by the US, Israel would probably have lost the war immediately (and there would probably have been fewer deaths). In my opinion, it's essential to include the information proposed by the OP; however, I will vote neither yes nor no. JacktheBrown (talk) 14:30, 25 November 2024 (UTC)

RfC

Should the article Gaza genocide be linked from this article, and if yes, where?

Possible answers:
  • No, it should not be linked
  • Yes, it should be linked in the lead.
  • Yes, it should be linked from the body of the article (please specify which paragraph)

cheers, Huldra (talk) 22:20, 22 November 2024 (UTC)

Polling (RfC)

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User:Alaexis just a question: when you say "nor in the lead; does that mean you think it should be in the body? If so, which paragraph? Huldra (talk) 22:03, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
  • Yes. There's a relevant section where it can be mentioned: Israel#Israeli-occupied_territories. Right now, this article doesn't mention two important things: That the current Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, is a fugitive wanted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, and that Israel is being charged with genocide by South Africa in the International Court of Justice. I think there can be a new subsection in the "Israeli occupied territories" section, that mentions both facts. I see Selfstudier has given a sample text. I support that paragraph being added to the relevant section, but I think a mention of the ICC's arrest warrant of the Prime Minister of Israel (and Yoav Gallant's warrant too) could also be added, since it's also international litigation for crimes against humanity in Gaza. Mohammed Deif's arrest warrant doesn't need to be mentioned in this article. I think we can have a new subsection titled "Gaza Strip" that moves text that already exists in the section. So in addition to Selfstudier's text, I would add the first sentence of the arrest warrant article to the end of it, and make it look like THIS (A link to a sandbox page that would show what the article would look like).--JasonMacker (talk) 05:43, 27 November 2024 (UTC)
    As far as adding it to the lead, the already existing sentence in the lead, "Israel's practices in its occupation of the Palestinian territories have drawn sustained international criticism—along with accusations that it has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people—from human rights organizations and United Nations officials." seems to be a good enough summary, but I guess I would modify it to "Israel's practices in its occupation of the Palestinian territories have drawn sustained international criticism—along with accusations that it has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people—from human rights organizations, the International Criminal Court, and United Nations officials." The ICC is technically not a UN body, so it should be mentioned separately. But other than that, I think such a sentence would be fine. I'm open to suggestions on this though. JasonMacker (talk) 05:48, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

*No. The genocide allegation appears to be, at the moment, primarily a tool of propaganda. Unless substantial new evidence emerges, analyzed by impartial, non-politicized sources and supported by more than two vague statements and casualty figures (which include a significant number of Hamas militants but the Hamas-run Health Ministry prefers not to differentiate militants from civilians), such claims lack the rigor required for inclusion in serious, encyclopedic coverage. ABHammad (talk) 06:53, 27 November 2024 (UTC)Blocked sock Selfstudier (talk) 11:08, 12 December 2024 (UTC)

  • "The genocide allegation appears to be, at the moment, primarily a tool of propaganda." This is simply not true. See: Expert opinions in the Gaza genocide debate. IOHANNVSVERVS (talk) 07:00, 27 November 2024 (UTC)
  • No. This article is about the State of Israel. Not news. Should the articles about the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and many others feature the various proven genocides that actually took place, or even in the lead? Might as well say "also known as the Z.E.", in the lead or anywhere, with some extra brackets for good measure? This is a matter of an ongoing armed conflict, with fog of war and disinformation throughout. Not only would it be "commenting on an ongoing investigation" as they say, but entirely inappropriate and irresponsible. Skullers (talk) 11:38, 27 November 2024 (UTC)
  • Yes Per WP:LEDE, required mention of significant criticism or controversies, clearly true and which several of the No !votes have acknowledged as being the case. A mention should be added via inclusion within the sentence "Israel's practices in its occupation of the Palestinian territories have drawn sustained international criticism—along with accusations that it has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people—from human rights organizations and United Nations officials." Selfstudier (talk) 12:10, 27 November 2024 (UTC)
  • Not in the lede - a good chunk of the lede is already criticism, so adding additional accusations would seem like POV shoehorning. Not necessarily against inclusion in the body, but there isn't a specific proposal to comment on. — xDanielx /C\ 23:37, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
User:XDanielx there is a question about whether it should be in the body. ("Yes, it should be linked from the body of the article (please specify which paragraph") So, if you agree: which paragraph? Huldra (talk) 22:03, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
@Huldra: Relevant material is currently in the body, unless it is reverted. The original dispute was about a sentence being added to the lead not material being added to the body, something which is not usually a source of dispute unless the amount of such material is undue. Option 2 already assumes material present in the body, no?. And option 1 just says no, so the third option is not really necessary. Selfstudier (talk) 10:36, 4 December 2024 (UTC)
@Selfstudier: When I started this RfC on the 22 nov, it wasn't in the body (that was first added the 27th) so the the third option is useful (necessary?) for keeping it there, Huldra (talk) 23:09, 4 December 2024 (UTC)
I just think the two things should not be mixed up, this RFC should not attempt to rubber stamp the addition that I made to the body, that should just be subject to the normal editing process. Imagine that I had not added it and people voted option 2? Then there would have had to have been another discussion about what should be in the body, so yes I have attempted to remedy a deficiency in the way the RFC was drafted and hopefully it meets with approval. Selfstudier (talk) 23:19, 4 December 2024 (UTC)
  • Yes in the body and the lede: There are prominent RS (UN Special Committee, Israeli holocaust scholar Omer Bartov to cite two examples) supporting the charachterization that Israel has been committing a genocide in Gaza, so there is no reason why this shouldn't be mentioned in the body. Accordingly, lede summarizes the body, so it should include that, given that it is one of the most prominent controversies Israel is facing second to the crime of apartheid in the West Bank (I am in favor of including both in the lede), though admittedly genocide hasn't reached the threshold of being confirmed, that's why for now it can be described as an accusation. The perfect short phrasing in my opinion for the lede can be:
Israel's practices in the occupied territories has drawn sustained international criticism for violating the human rights of the Palestinians, including for maintaining an apartheid regime in the West Bank, as well as being accused of committing a genocide in Gaza.

Makeandtoss (talk) 07:29, 2 December 2024 (UTC)

Update to my "admittedly genocide hasn't reached the threshold of being confirmed," that is beginning to change as Amnesty International launched a report today charachterizing that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. While this does not yet mean the threshold has been reached, but it gives a whole new significance to the inclusion of the "accusation" to the lede. Makeandtoss (talk) 12:01, 5 December 2024 (UTC)
1) Misplaced Pages:Neutral_point_of_view#Due_and_undue_weight. WP:Tertiary sources can be used to assess WP:DUE. My understanding is that once DUEness is established, Misplaced Pages articles can be kept up to date. This is actually a strength of Misplaced Pages. For example, no one would argue mentioning something about the economy in this article is WP:UNDUE. WP:Tertiary and overview WP:Secondary sources about Israel would include something about the economy. It could be too much or too little, but something about the economy would be DUE in this article. However, economic stats in this article would probably be much more up to date than many published overview WP:Secondary sources about Israel such as Routledge Handbook on Contemporary Israel.
Similarly, WP:Tertiary sources mention Israeli-Palestinian or Israeli-Arab conflict at length. As such, Gaza genocide would be DUE. If in several years, newly published WP:Tertiary sources do not mention this, it can be taken out of the lead. If in several years, both newly published WP:Tertiary and overview WP:Secondary sources about Israel do not mention this, it can also be taken out of the body. But for now, to keep the article up to date, this is DUE.
Sources are below, I cannot give lengthy quotes due to word count restrictions in Misplaced Pages:Contentious topics/Arab–Israeli conflict
Coverage of Israeli-Palestinian or Israeli-Arab conflict in WP:Tertiary sources:

...That conflict, which became known as the Arab-Israeli conflict, has heavily influenced Israel's development, as security issues have dominated Israeli politics and society since 1948...

  • World Encyclopedia, Israel entry (accessible through Misplaced Pages library). There's nothing similar to the Misplaced Pages lead. The "lead" in encyclopedia entry is just few sentences about geography. But the history section mentions these issues.
  • A Guide to Countries of the World (4 ed.) Israel entry (accessible through Misplaced Pages library). There's no history section, but large coverage, especially under Contemporary politics section.
More tertiary sources can be found using Google Books, Google Scholar, or the Misplaced Pages Library (for example: Oxford Reference Online database)
Given the coverage above, this is what I'd recommend for 3rd paragraph in the lead. Additions in bold, moved some wikilinks.

... Following the 1967 Six-Day War Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Egyptian Sinai Peninsula and Syrian Golan Heights. Israel established and continues to expand settlements across the illegally occupied territories, contrary to international law, and has effectively annexed East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights in moves largely unrecognized internationally. ... Israel's practices and settlements in its occupation of the Palestinian territories have drawn sustained international criticism—along with accusations that it has committed genocide , war crimes, and other crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people—from scholars, human rights organizations and United Nations officials.

The above wording makes the lead neutral as only the accusation is added in Wikivoice. Similarly, the text in the body should be NPOV.
2) Misplaced Pages:Verifiability. Lots of WP:RS. See Template:Expert opinions in the Gaza genocide debate. There are already WP:Secondary sources about this such as Gaza Faces History by Enzo Traverso. This source also ties Gaza genocide with Israeli-Palestinian conflict: In this urgent, insightful essay, a respected historian places the Israeli-Palestinian war in context, challenging Western attitudes about the region
3) MOS:LEADLENGTH. The above proposal would trim the lead word count by something like 26 words. It'd still be more than 400 words, but even many featured articles are longer than 400 words. Bogazicili (talk) 17:27, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
You linked to four tertiary sources, but I don't see the word "genocide" in any of them? (Britannica links to recent news about it, but that seems temporary.) Maybe this is a sign that our lede's focus should somehow be different, but in terms of accusations of genocide, if anything it seems like a sign that we should omit them.
I don't think there's any dispute that something like accusations that it has committed genocide would pass WP:V, but that isn't really an argument for highlighting material in a lede. That comes down mainly to WP:DUE and to MOS:LEDE, which tell us to briefly summarize the most important points covered in an article. — xDanielx /C\ 01:34, 6 December 2024 (UTC)
I gave my reasoning for this.
This is a recent and ongoing event. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World, published in 2008, would not have mentioned 2024 events. It's a reliable source, but they are not clairvoyant.
My DUE argument was due to heavy coverage of Israeli-Palestinian or Israeli-Arab conflict in Israel entries in tertiary sources.
If sources published in the next few years do not explicitly mention Gaza genocide, it can be taken out of the body or the lead.
But for now, we can keep the article up to date. I believe this is the precedent in Misplaced Pages. Otherwise Misplaced Pages would be several years or longer behind everything if we had to wait for overview WP:Secondary or WP:Tertiary sources for everything. Once those type of sources covering recent events are available however, those sources would determine how we proceed. Bogazicili (talk) 11:52, 6 December 2024 (UTC)
  • Yes, it should be linked in the lead, at the end of the third paragraph where it discusses war crimes and crimes against humanity. This text has been through various iterations, but would benefit from greater precision by means of specificity. A great many countries have been accused of war crimes, making that a rather generic, not outstanding observation. While it is probably more notable that Israel has been accused of a particularly voluminous number of different war crimes in the post-WWII period, sitting above that are the very specific crimes against humanity in which it has been implicated –namely apartheid and genocide. Now apartheid has already been through the RFC process and denied a mention (based on rationales that grow poorer by the day) but to the question here, yes, it is extremely pertinent to mention the particularly nation-defining crime against humanity of genocide – the so-called crime of crimes. Iskandar323 (talk) 18:32, 6 December 2024 (UTC)
  • Yes it is notable enough for an article, therefore should be linked. SKAG123 (talk) 23:47, 8 December 2024 (UTC)
  • Yes, but not in the lead. There's some discussion of genocide in the 21st century section of the article and this link could be put there, but it's not clear why this should be added to the lead. I am strongly opposed to adding it to the lead and most of the arguments for inclusion into the lead can be discounted on WP:10YT/WP:NOTTHENEWS/WP:RECENTISM grounds. Nemov (talk) 22:07, 12 December 2024 (UTC)
  • Yes for the body, no for the lead It is certainly notable enough to mention in a relevant part of the article, but I think it is too recent to mention in the lead, since we cannot assess long-term historical importance yet. QuicoleJR (talk) 15:24, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    QuicoleJR, can you point to the relevant Misplaced Pages:Policies and guidelines for your argument? Bogazicili (talk) 15:32, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    The bar for something being included in the lead is pretty high, much higher than inclusion in the body. According to MOS:LEADNO, emphasis on material, such as the Gaza genocide, should reflect its relative importance to the topic as described by reliable sources. I think the current state of the lead is fine, although I would also be fine with adding a sentence or two about how Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank is illegal. I don't think the Gaza genocide by itself has enough weight to warrant inclusion in the lead. QuicoleJR (talk) 15:42, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    Gaza genocide is part of the Israeli-Palestinian or Israeli-Arab conflict, which is heavily covered in Israel entries in WP:Tertiary sources. See the sources above. Bogazicili (talk) 15:46, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    Yes, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict certainly warrants inclusion in the lead. However, is the Gaza genocide itself heavily covered in those entries? It is the level of coverage for the specific topic that matters, not the level of coverage of the wider subject it is part of. QuicoleJR (talk) 15:52, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    See the discussion above. Bogazicili (talk) 15:59, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    WP:LEDE requires mention of significant criticism or controversies, this fits the bill, it needs no more than a wikilink. Selfstudier (talk) 16:07, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    It says summarize the most important points. I am simply contending that this is not one of them. Israel is a sizable country with a lot of history, and I don't believe that this has enough DUE weight in reliable sources about Israel as a whole to warrant including prominently in the lead, although I think it is important enough to mention in the body. QuicoleJR (talk) 16:12, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    To be clear, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict definitely warrants inclusion in the lead, and we could probably add a sentence about the legality of Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, but I think including the Gaza genocide specifically in the lead would be recentist and UNDUE, especially since the Israel-Hamas war is only covered by "several wars" in the lead. QuicoleJR (talk) 16:15, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    See the wording suggestion above. This could be added into the lead while trimming the lead. For WP:DUE, we can look at coverage of Arab-Israeli conflict. If newer tertiary sources in the upcoming years do not explicitly mention Gaza genocide, Gaza genocide can be taken out. Do we have any tertiary sources published in the past few months?
    If the only sources were newspaper articles, recentist arguments would succeed. However, we have so many secondary sources on Gaza genocide now. Bogazicili (talk) 16:26, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    Yes, we have many secondary sources on the Gaza genocide. We also have many secondary sources on a variety of other things, like the 7 October attacks or the Munich massacre of Israeli athletes. Those aren't included in the lead either. My question is whether secondary or tertiary sources on the topic of Israel as a whole mention the genocide. If not, it shouldn't be in the lead yet. QuicoleJR (talk) 16:29, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    Assessing DUEness of Munich massacre is easy, since it happened in 1972. Look at tertiary sources. Bogazicili (talk) 16:30, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    Arguing that we should rush this into the lead because we can't assess long-term importance yet is pure recentism. I'm not saying we can't update the body to add this information, but we should wait on adding it to the lead until the long-term impact is more clear. QuicoleJR (talk) 16:35, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    That wasn't my argument, I won't respond any further to not WP:Bludgeon Bogazicili (talk) 16:38, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    It says summarize the most important points, including any prominent controversies I can assure you this is a prominent controversy. Well, unless you can convince me it isn't. Selfstudier (talk) 16:19, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    It is a decently prominent controversy, but the State of Israel has had a lot of prominent controversies in its short history, and we can't stuff them all in the lead. I think mentioning that their occupation of Gaza and the West Bank is illegal would cover the most important controversy, being their illegal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. The Gaza genocide is arguably a subtopic of that. For an applicable example from another article, the featured article Japan does not mention the atrocities they committed against China in World War II in the lead, even though it was, and still is, a very prominent controversy. Similarly, the lead of Germany only gives the Holocaust two words in a sentence about the Nazi government. Similar considerations apply here. QuicoleJR (talk) 16:27, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    And this would be exactly one word in the lead, per my suggestion. Bogazicili (talk) 16:29, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
  • Only in the body while it’s a non-insignificant criticism, it’s not sufficiently significant to be included in the lead. Both based on the uncertain status and the recency of the accusation, the lead should instead continue referring to other, certain misconduct, per the relevant policies cited above, instead of referring to a disputed interpretation of some of the very recent actions. FortunateSons (talk) 23:14, 18 December 2024 (UTC)
    FortunateSons, can you please specify "the relevant policies"? Bogazicili (talk) 16:19, 21 December 2024 (UTC)
    MOS:LEADNO, WP:Recentism, WP:10YT, WP:DUE would probably be the most relevant ones FortunateSons (talk) 08:50, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
    FortunateSons, thank you for clarification. Note that WP:10YT and WP:Recentism are not policies, they are explanatory essays. You can get more information in WP:SUPPLEMENTAL.
    For interpretation of WP:DUE and MOS:LEADNO, we disagree, but this has been discussed above, so I'm not going to get into it again. Bogazicili (talk) 14:15, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
    Of course, but they are broadly accepted as a concretisation of policy; nevertheless, thank you for the reminder. FortunateSons (talk) 18:04, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
  • Not in the lead per WP:RECENTISM. Would prefer to wait until a court conviction or acquittal has been made to decide. Wafflefrites (talk) 04:10, 19 December 2024 (UTC)
    The Palestinian genocide accusation is not recent only the Gaza genocide is and that is still a significant controversy, regardless. Selfstudier (talk) 17:08, 21 December 2024 (UTC)
    Since 1955, the population of Palestine has steadily increased. The life expectancy has increased, the infant mortality and child death rate has decreased. So I don’t understand how Israel has been genociding the Palestinians if all these numbers are improving for them. Wafflefrites (talk) 00:34, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
    Reminder of WP:OR and WP:NOTAFORUM. IOHANNVSVERVS (talk) 00:37, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
    Here is a source so it is not OR or NOTAFORUM. The source is a Jewish advocacy group. Wafflefrites (talk) 00:49, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
    That isn’t a reliable source for the topic. nableezy - 02:12, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
    Without even getting into if the advocacy group source you provided is a reliable source, for accusation of genocide, we would use WP:Secondary sources such as , so the source you provided does not invalidate those, per WP:NPOV. Bogazicili (talk) 14:27, 22 December 2024 (UTC)

Discussion (RfC)

This doesn’t seem that actionable an RfC, or that productive a question. The content of the article is what is discussed, and links serve as navigational aids for delving into the content. Considering a link alone in the aether rather misses its purpose. CMD (talk) 09:02, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
Seems that there should be first some material in the body related to the wikilink and South Africa's genocide case against Israel. @Huldra: Suggest you pull the RFC tag on this for now until some material can be put together for the article body. Selfstudier (talk) 11:07, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
Something like this perhaps
Israel is accused of carrying out a genocide against the Palestinian people by experts, governments, United Nations agencies, and non-governmental organisations during its invasion of the Gaza Strip in the ongoing Israel–Hamas war. Observers, including the UN Special Committee to investigate Israeli practices and United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, have cited statements by senior Israeli officials that may indicate an "intent to destroy" (in whole or in part) Gaza's population, a necessary condition for the legal threshold of genocide to be met. A majority of mostly US-based Middle East scholars believe Israel's actions in Gaza were intended to make it uninhabitable for Palestinians, and 75% of them say Israel's actions in Gaza constitute either genocide or "major war crimes akin to genocide". On 29 December 2023, South Africa instituted proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice pursuant to the Genocide Convention,
This is just wrt the genocide issue, need something about the arrest warrants as well. Selfstudier (talk) 15:43, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
It doesn't seem very neutral to cover statements from sources like Albanese without also covering accusations of bias on their part. — xDanielx /C\ 23:36, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
It doesn’t make sense to cover things that aren’t relevant to the topic, like accusations of bias instead of addressing the substance of the statement. nableezy - 00:57, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
If we don't want to get into such accusations of bias then we shouldn't be using sources like Albanese in the first place. — xDanielx /C\ 17:00, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
That makes no sense to me. We dont include accusations of bias against the Times of Israel anytime we use them as a source, or the NYTimes, or Benny Morris, or whatever other reliable sources we cite. The ad hominem of "she's biased" is not relevant to the argument she makes or the qualifications she has to make them. At most, such accusations belong in the biography of Albanese, or Morris, or whatever other article that covers the sources themselves, not whenever they are cited. nableezy - 17:23, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
That's not at all comparable. NYT and Morris are occasionally criticized by both sides for various perceived biases. Accusations of bias against Albanese are far more significant, e.g. with officials from several different governments openly calling her antisemitic or unfit for her role. — xDanielx /C\ 18:59, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
They are directly comparable, and governments arent reliable sources for anything other than the views of the politicians heading those governments. It is a basic ad hominem, and it has nothing to do with the actual content of her comments. nableezy - 19:04, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
It doesn't really make sense to call this an ad hominem, when source selection inherently involves evaluating sources rather than the content of their statements. Surely the WP:BESTSOURCES here would be uninvolved ones with some semblance of objectivity.
Covering Albanese's claim here is like covering Biden's claim that there isn't a genocide. Clearly neither is among the BESTSOURCES, and neither claim is noteworthy enough that it would need to be covered anyway. — xDanielx /C\ 19:57, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
Biden is a politician speaking as a politician. Albanese is an expert in international law, speaking as an expert in international law. nableezy - 20:04, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
I should add that she isn't just speaking as an expert in international law (which she undoubtedly is), but she is speaking as a UN official who is the current United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories. To compare her speech with Biden (a non-expert politician who has absolutely no scholarship on the issue and doesn't have an international law background) is ridiculous. JasonMacker (talk) 18:39, 6 December 2024 (UTC)
Special Rapporteurs are not UN officials, they are independent experts consulted by the UN, and they remain independent. See United Nations special rapporteur for an overview. nableezy - 20:54, 6 December 2024 (UTC)
And Jews and others praising her, no? She must be doing something right. Afaics, she has tended to be ahead of the curve on most matters. Selfstudier (talk) 19:06, 2 December 2024 (UTC)

References

  1. "Situation in the State of Palestine: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I issues warrant of arrest for Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (Deif)". International Criminal Court. 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  2. ^ "Gaza: UN experts call on international community to prevent genocide against the Palestinian people". OHCHR. 16 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023. Grave violations committed by Israel against Palestinians in the aftermath of 7 October, particularly in Gaza, point to a genocide in the making, UN experts said today. They illustrated evidence of increasing genocidal incitement, overt intent to "destroy the Palestinian people under occupation", loud calls for a 'second Nakba' in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory, and the use of powerful weaponry with inherently indiscriminate impacts, resulting in a colossal death toll and destruction of life-sustaining infrastructure.
  3. Burga, Solcyré (13 November 2023). "Is What's Happening in Gaza a Genocide? Experts Weigh In". Time. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.; Corder, Mike (2 January 2024). "South Africa's genocide case against Israel sets up a high-stakes legal battle at the UN's top court". ABC News. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.;Quigley, John (3 July 2024). "The Lancet and Genocide By "Slow Death" in Gaza". Arab Center Washington DC. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  4. Francesca Albanese (26 March 2024), Anatomy of a Genocide – Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese (PDF), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Wikidata Q125152282, archived (PDF) from the original on 25 March 2024
  5. Burga 2023; Soni, S. (December 2023). "Gaza and international law: The global obligation to protect life and health". South African Journal of Bioethics and Law. 16 (3): 80–81. doi:10.7196/SAJBL.2023.v16i3.1764.
  6. "International Expert Statement on Israeli State Crime". statecrime.org. International State Crime Initiative. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  7. Lynch, Marc; Telhami, Shibley (20 June 2024). "Gloom about the 'day after' the Gaza war pervasive among Mideast scholars". Brookings. Archived from the original on 26 June 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  8. "South Africa launches case at top UN court accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza". Associated Press. December 29, 2023. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  9. Rabin, Roni Caryn; Yazbek, Hiba; Fuller, Thomas (2024-01-11). "Israel Faces Accusation of Genocide as South Africa Brings Case to U.N. Court". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  10. "Proceedings instituted by South Africa against the State of Israel on 29 December 2023" (PDF). International Court of Justice. December 29, 2023. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024. ALT Link
  11. "South Africa institutes proceedings against Israel and requests the International Court of Justice to indicate provisional measures" (Press release). The Hague, Netherlands: International Court of Justice. United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine. December 29, 2023. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2023.

Edit request

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  • What I think should be changed (format using {{textdiff}}): In History, 21st century, please change
    A majority of mostly US-based Middle East scholars believe Israel's actions in Gaza were intended to make it uninhabitable for Palestinians, and 75% of them say Israel's actions in Gaza constitute either genocide or "major war crimes akin to genocide".+According to a recent Middle East Scholar Barometer poll of 758 mostly US-based Middle East scholars, a majority of those respondents believe Israel's actions in Gaza were intended to make it uninhabitable for Palestinians, and 75% of them say Israel's actions in Gaza constitute either genocide or "major war crimes akin to genocide".
    * Why it should be changed:The result of any one poll is probably undue for this section, but if it is to be included, it should be with proper context.
  • References supporting the possible change (format using the "cite" button):

Mikewem (talk) 18:32, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

 Not done: neither an uncontroversial improvement, nor one that has consensus. M.Bitton (talk) 10:33, 28 November 2024 (UTC)

References

  1. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/gloom-about-the-day-after-the-gaza-war-pervasive-among-mideast-scholars/

Tag

Resolved

-tag removed !Moxy🍁 20:05, 29 November 2024 (UTC)


@Moxy: Reasons for the tag, please? Selfstudier (talk) 13:15, 28 November 2024 (UTC)

Nothing but military info looks like nothing but conflict for 20+ years ...this article is not History of the Israel Defense Forces. Need info like ..90s saw first featuring direct election of the prime minister etc. Moxy🍁 13:22, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
You tag says undue not that the section needs updating, which material is undue? And why? Selfstudier (talk) 13:25, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
undue because its nothing but military history....no memtiom of any other history. Sounds like the most unstable country doing nothing but being at war. Moxy🍁 13:29, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
History on its own at 5116 words is half an article by itself. A lot is likely undue. CMD (talk) 13:47, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
Agree so much details - over info that can be and is covred in sub articles that can be trimed like :The Jewish insurgency continued and peaked in July 1947, with a series of widespread guerrilla raids culminating in the Sergeants affair, in which the Irgun took two British sergeants hostage as attempted leverage against the planned execution of three Irgun operatives. After the executions were carried out, the Irgun killed the two British soldiers, hanged their bodies from trees, and left a booby trap at the scene which injured a British soldier. The incident caused widespread outrage in the UK" Moxy🍁 13:51, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
The section that has been tagged is Israel#21st century, a short section, the material The Jewish insurgency continued and peaked... is not even in it, that material is in Israel#British_Mandate_for_Palestine section, which has not been tagged.
So did you mean to tag something else? Selfstudier (talk) 14:08, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
Moxy explained that subsection above, it is just one of a few with similar issues. CMD (talk) 16:57, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
They haven't explained it, the material they quote is not tagged. Selfstudier (talk) 16:59, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
Sorry I thought I was pretty clear.... the whole section is just about military.... in fact we have two paragraphs for something that's happening in the past year. What we are looking for is substantial historical significant information about the country's social and historic evolution in that time. Best we simply don't regurgitate American news headlines. For example should mention Disengagement Plan... What kind of social human rights progress has there been? In 20 years there must be some sort of legal process that has changed.... democratic decline perhaps? What has happened on the diplomatic front.... like the mass increase in foreign aid? Moxy🍁 20:29, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
the whole section is just about military Which section? The only section that you tagged is the 21st Century section. If you meant to put the tag for the entire history section, then do that, I would also agree with that inline with multiple prior discussions asserting that it was way too long. Selfstudier (talk) 21:05, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
Which section? Not interested in some sort of gameplay. Your initial post was about a tag in a section this is the topic of the ongoing conversation..... with mention by another and myself about the excess detail overall in the history section with an example that I gave. You either agree it's excessive or you don't.... best course of action would be to come up with some sort of prose for the section.... and a better summary. Moxy🍁 21:33, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
OK, you don't want to admit you got this all backwards, fine by me, bfn. Selfstudier (talk) 23:08, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
What you have to ask yourself is does your approach to this conversation help improve that article or not. There is clearly a problem all over the history section...but the info in this tagged section is the topic of conversation...do you have any input what can be done to help the section? Then perhaps we can move on to other sections. Moxy🍁 15:57, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
I asked you what the problems were and your response was to quote something else from an untagged section, so if you can answer the original question that would be good. Selfstudier (talk) 16:15, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
Best you let someone that is competent deal with the tag. My bad just frustrated that the post has not moved forward in actual improvements. Will address the problem with prose after the content addition dispute is over. Moxy🍁 18:23, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
Couldn't agree more. Selfstudier (talk) 18:30, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
What content addition dispute? Selfstudier (talk) 19:50, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
Was not aware of 'this'. Let's deal with the content issue after all the current concers. Last post from me here.Moxy🍁 20:01, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
I don't see what that has to do with the issue you have been describing in this section.. OK, resolved for now. Selfstudier (talk) 20:05, 29 November 2024 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 1 December 2024

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

In 21st century history, please change

A majority of mostly US-based Middle East scholars believe Israel's actions in Gaza were intended to make it uninhabitable for Palestinians, and 75% of them say Israel's actions in Gaza constitute either genocide or "major war crimes akin to genocide".+A majority of mostly US-based Middle East scholars who were polled believe Israel's actions in Gaza were intended to make it uninhabitable for Palestinians, and 75% of them say Israel's actions in Gaza constitute either genocide or "major war crimes akin to genocide".

"mostly US-based Middle East scholars" is not an identifiable group, the phrase as written doesn't have a concrete definition. Which Middle East scholars' beliefs are being talked about here? The scholars who were polled are being talking about. Adding language that clarifies the source of these statistics and defines the group in question could make the statistics more useful. Thank you for your consideration. Mikewem (talk) 17:00, 1 December 2024 (UTC)

From the given citation, added "758" before "mostly" and "polled in 2024 by Brookings" before "believe" to clarify matters. Selfstudier (talk) 17:42, 1 December 2024 (UTC)

""Israel"" listed at Redirects for discussion

The redirect "Israel" has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Misplaced Pages:Redirects for discussion/Log/2024 December 7 § "Israel" until a consensus is reached. Ca 15:00, 7 December 2024 (UTC)

Lede

@Terrainman: Are these your first edits to articles on WP that relate to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? If so, please familiarize yourself with WP:ARBPIA and WP:ONUS which states that adding contested content requires achieving consensus on the talk page, not reverting. This responsibility is known as onus lying with the inserter of the material. Makeandtoss (talk) 12:47, 15 December 2024 (UTC)

Ok, thank-you. The information I added was to improve the context of the paragraph, in a much needed way. From what I can see, nothing contested was added. 𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙢𝙖𝙣地形人 (talk) 12:51, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
@Terrainman: Your additions to the lede/lead were reverted so the material is by definition is now contested, meaning you will have to gain consensus for them in the talk page, not revert. Makeandtoss (talk) 12:54, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
I understand but your edit reason was to keep the brevity of the lead when my edit was rather brief in my view. It has been further edited by another user to make the additions more concise. 𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙢𝙖𝙣地形人 (talk) 13:14, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
@Terrainman: Your additions still increased the material about the 1948 war from six to eight sentences in the lede. This needs to be trimmed even below six sentences. Makeandtoss (talk) 13:34, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
I understand since that para is already very long, however unfortunately the topic is extremely complicated; hence why it was the longest para in the lead long before my edit. My addition provided essential context in my view, I also received thanks for it and it has been refined since by another editor. In my view if this para is to be made more concise we need to explore other options for that. 𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙢𝙖𝙣地形人 (talk) 13:48, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
@Terrainman: Receiving thanks is not a measure of consensus, but discussion on the talk page. Your addition still duplicates mention of the UN partition plan in the second and third lede paragraphs, as well as non-summarizing elaborations on the Oslo Accords, which is also a duplicate mention in the third lede paragraph. Makeandtoss (talk) 14:03, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
The first sentence of the 3rd paragraph explains that the partition plan failed, which is crucial context!
Regarding Oslo accords, it is not a duplication. The second mention references them in a sentence about progress since then. 𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙢𝙖𝙣地形人 (talk) 14:28, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
Furthermore, if we are setting this low a threshold in what is essential to the lead, there are multiple parts of the third paragraph which elaborate to a significant extend, rather than merely state the existence of key historical events which are in-fact needed to provide context for the rest of the paragraph. 𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙢𝙖𝙣地形人 (talk) 14:41, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
Then all should be trimmed. Makeandtoss (talk) 17:00, 25 December 2024 (UTC)
Additionally, when you say Lede, do you mean Lead? I just want to be sure I am not missing something here. 𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙢𝙖𝙣地形人 (talk) 12:52, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
Lede and Lead are legitimate alternative spellings; both refer to the intro material which, in Misplaced Pages, should summarize the major points of rest of the article. A major issue for many Misplaced Pages articles is putting too much stuff in the lede. Erp (talk) 05:05, 16 December 2024 (UTC)

Minor edit Request

Remove "synonymous with Canaan" from the lede.

1. The borders of ancient Canaan don't line up with modern day Israel.

2. No real reason to mention ancient Canaan just like we don't mention that it's synonymous with British Mandatory Palestine or the Judea province of the Roman Empire.

3. The fact that Canaanites lives there is in the following sentence. Fyukfy5 (talk) 22:47, 16 December 2024 (UTC)

 Done QuicoleJR (talk) 16:32, 19 December 2024 (UTC)
Restore Canaan and rephrase to avoid implying synonymity. Makeandtoss (talk) 16:57, 25 December 2024 (UTC)
This didn't address the points they made. 'Variably known as' still conflicts with all three points here. 𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙢𝙖𝙣地形人 (talk) 17:56, 25 December 2024 (UTC)
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