House Balstroko

It’s also rooted in the fact that Persian culture is ancient and predates Islam. That being said, the diaspora also represents a particular segment of Iranian society as a whole. It’s hard to tell whether those views are as widespread from within the country itself.

It’s hard to gauge how widespread that sentiment actually is when looking at the entire population, though from personal experience, I will say I’ve heard from many Iranians in the diaspora, that they feel that way.

Just a couple of quick points. @kissdbyfire Iran has already attacked Israeli diplomatic missions, which includes embassies in the past. Claiming that they should retaliate now is utter nonsense. This doesn’t mean that I think Israel should expand the engagement right now, as it risks creating a disastrous situation for all parties involved. @Werthead Just as there is tremendous mistrust/dislike of Iran in large parts of the Arab world, there is equally lots of dislike of Arabs amongst Iranians. In fact, within the diaspora, you will find some of the staunchest supporters of Israel.

@kissdbyfire It wasn’t the Iranian embassy that was bombed. It was a building adjacent to the consulate , which was being used to plan attacks against Israeli targets.

Except that Iran has already targeted Israeli diplomatic missions in the past, including the bombing in Buenos Aires. Israel and Iran have been at war for a very long time, though covertly. This is nothing like the situation where Ecuador stormed the Mexican embassy, as those two countries had diplomatic relations prior to the incident.

The Miss Universe contest would like to have a word with you.

How about The Negative Commandments? Might not be any left of the original.

That’s a fairly reasonable position. I personally believe that supporting Ukraine is both moral and strategic for the West.

I’m male. It’s more of a general statement, not specifically targeting either men or women, though you are obviously right in your assessment.

I’m very sceptical about that. Recreational sex is far too popular to be drastically affected by that. People will likely just become more careless.

I don’t follow your logic. What makes you think that a different candidate would automatically solve the issue at hand. I would love to see another candidate replace Biden, though I’m not convinced it’s the best course of action at this point. Then again, I’m not American so I have no input.

I’m guessing you’re referring to Argentina here.

If I’m not mistaken, those working for the UNRWA need to be approved by Hamas. For some reason, this is the only agency present there, while in most other areas the UNHCR operates.

Either he’s finally seen the writing on the wall or he’s going to try and stall things.

The long term problem is that even if Hamas goes, there will be a new set of radicals to take over. That’s why ensuring the Palestinians get a state not tied to Israel is of the utmost importance. That way, many of the arguments used against Israel can vanish, even if in practice there will always be an element of radicalism present in both societies.

Possibly the same thing that happened to Jews in other Arab countries. There are already large segments of Jews in Israel who are in favour of expelling them. I hope that doesn’t happen.

The million + Arabs living within Israel are Israeli citizens. Those in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are not Israeli citizens, as those territories were acquired later and are not legally part of Israel.

The one state solution is a terrible proposition altogether. The two state solution is essential for Israel’s survival. The big hurdle is that it’s hard to agree on borders.

On paper, that’s the best solution. The problem then becomes how to draw the borders. The general idea of respecting the 1967 borders seems to be the best solution, except for the fact that Israel has already built settlements in Area C of the West Bank. How do we proceed from here? Do the 2 parties agree to a land swap where Israel gets to keep Area C in favour of relinquishing territory that it currently holds?

I’m not American, so I have no say in the matter. I’m not even in disagreement with what you are saying. The unfortunate reality is that the current political landscape in the US demands an immediate response. So yes, it boils down to a popularity contest. When a non-trivial segment of the US population believes that Sanders is a full blown commie, it becomes clear that something major needs to change before better candidates can be fielded.

@Zorral gave an excellent response already, but I’ll take a different approach. Sure, there are likely to be more qualified individuals, but politics seldom empowers the brightest in a society. Michelle has a ton of star power, which goes far in elections. She’s a candidate that would be able to rally a sizeable portion of the US population yo her cause. At a time when the Republican Party is actively embracing extremist ideology, she would be a vital force in standing up to them.

Palestinians will have to come to terms with the reality that Israel exists, otherwise they will remain stateless. The only way a Palestinian state fully materialises is after Israel is secure.

I’d be surprised if Iran were to try something so overtly. I think they are happy with keeping it a proxy war as their leadership is already under intense scrutiny back at home. If the US were to get directly involved, you might be looking at an Operation Praying Mantis 2.

Hopefully that turd Trump will never get a chance to hold office again. It’s a real shame that Republicans are doubling down on being as repugnant as possible. Someone like DeSantis would probably end up being even worse than Trump.

Yes, it’s clear that the relationship has somewhat changed over the decades. Kosovo will always be a sticking point for Serbs.