Reply #2: I wish I could on this issue, but I can't.... [View All]

[IrateCitizen]

IMHO, there were other, better ways in which Kerry could have handled this. He could have announced his misgivings about the plan on the grounds that unilateral action by Sharon, coupled with the unwillingness to discuss five significant settlements in the West Bank, would make Israel less safe.

I'm also alarmed at the hypocrisy in this statement: Kerry was also quoted, in The New York Sun, as saying: "I've always felt that the right of return is contrary to the viability of a Jewish state, and that's what Israel is."

The Democratic Party platform expresses support for the "special relationship" with Israel based on our "shared values" and the fact that Israel is a democratic state. But here, Kerry is acknowledging that Israel is a Jewish state. Which is it -- a state founded on democratic values, or a state founded on religious identity? By embracing the latter, it is impossible to extend the former to all residents of the country.

I don't find this to be a deal-breaker, personally -- but I certainly share your misgivings on it, JC.