[Nan3cy]

This seems to me to be the most intractable problem: Having Israel be a democratic Jewish state that isn't too microscopically small to be functional or defensible.

The first time I thought I had any minimal understanding of the complexities of the Middle East was when I read Tom Friedman's From Beirut to Jerusalem. The passage that has stuck with me is when he said that Israel wants three things: (1) the historic Israel; (2) a democratic Israel; and (3) a Jewish Israel. He said it is impossible for all three to happen, and Israelis have to figure out which two of the three they want the most.

[Nan3cy]

This seems to me to be the most intractable problem: Having Israel be a democratic Jewish state that isn't too microscopically small to be functional or defensible.

The first time I thought I had any minimal understanding of the complexities of the Middle East was when I read Tom Friedman's From Beirut to Jerusalem. The passage that has stuck with me is when he said that Israel wants three things: (1) the historic Israel; (2) a democratic Israel; and (3) a Jewish Israel. He said it is impossible for all three to happen, and Israelis have to figure out which two of the three they want the most.