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First of all, it is important to note that Israel is a Jewish State in the sense that its dominant ethnicity (75%) is Jewish. Herzl defined Zionism as the right for the Judensvolk (or Jewish People) to have a state in the same sense as German Nationalism was the right for the Deutschesvolk (or German People) to have a state. Therefore, many non-religious positions have strong standing in Israel and the majority of Israel's population would be considered agnostic, atheist, or just minimally religious, by American standards.

Religious Jewish Defenses

However, there are numerous religious opinions which do have clout in Israel and do deal with the Palestinian Question. Religiously there are opinions on all sides of the spectrum. Here is a list of them, from most liberal to most conservative (by Western standards, not necessarily by Jewish standards):

1) The Occupation Has to End with Landswaps:These people have a genuine concern for the future of the Palestinian people because they believe that the Palestinians do have a right to their own government and territory. In their view, Judaism teaches peace, kindness, and respect for those of the other nations. Note: They do not call for ceding completely to Palestinian demands and would not entertain notions such as Islamic Extremism and the Palestinian Full Right of Return. They believe in a Palestine that is also interested in mutual cooperation. In so doing, they believe in compassionate treatment of the Palestinians that is at least equal if not greater than that shown by the Palestinians to Israelis.

2) The Palestinians are Obstructing the Proper Course of History: These people do not feel positively or negatively towards Palestinian treatment. However, they see the Creation of a Jewish State as the first stage of the process necessary to bring about the Messianic Age. This view holds that the Palestinians are willfully putting themselves in the way of progress towards this event. The coming of the Messiah would, in their view, be the greatest good and should be hastened by any possible means.

3) The Palestinians are the Seven Tribes: This is the strongest and most violent opinion. This faction of the Religious Zionists hold that God's commandment to remove the Seven Tribes from Canaan is applicable to the Palestinians, calling them the modern Philistines. In the Torah, the removal of these people is required and by its very law, none can survive. Judaism, in their view, is not a religion about Universal Compassion, but about Strict Observance. As the holiest places in Israel are being held by the Palestinians (such as Hebron, Shechem/Nablus, and Shiloh) they equate the Palestinians to the Jebusites, whom King David eviscerated when he took Jerusalem.

4) Jewish States are Blasphemy: This is a position held by a tiny minority such as Neturei Karta (who are famously flagged down by every Pro-Palestinian group who only understands half of their ideology) and they live exclusively outside of the Land of Israel. They believe that Israel has to be made devoid of Jews to hasten the arrival of the Messiah (in direct contravention to Group 2). When the Messiah comes he will wipe the land clean of people and bring the Jews in as a unity to settle it. They believe that the Jews are, at present, Divinely mandated to be in exile and that going to Israel is in contravention to mandate.

Note: It is important that most more religious strains of Judaism do not believe that there is equality between Jews and non-Jews and so non-Jewish suffering comes in second to Jewish concerns.

Non-Religious Jewish Defenses

The most prevalent non-Jewish (in a religious sense) defense that Jews use to justify the treatment of the Palestinians are: the Just War Theory, Revenge Theory, and Patriotism. All of these are either counter to or in neutral character towards Jewish Law.

Reasons that the above mentioned theories are not religiously Jewish:

Just War Theory: Religious Judaism believes in Mandated War. This is a system where you must or must not go to war because God says so. There is no necessary thought process on behalf of the believer except to see if the opponent matches the proscribed categories (i.e. is "X" person part of "Y" nation or grouping). The Just War Theory, on the other hand, is when a person can decide based on religious reasons whether or not he should go to war against a person or group because of the necessity of his cultural survival (i.e. does "X" person violently advocate for "Y" principle which is strongly damaging to me). This requires insight, questioning, and is open to roundtable discussion. While many modern Jews engage in this behavior, it does not make it religious Jewish behavior.

Revenge Theory: Revenge theory is pretty straightforward and there are certainly verses in the Torah that say "an eye for an eye", but Rabbinical Judaism has made it clear that the system of awarding retribution must be a legal institution (such as a court) and not the sword. In fact, this Torah-principle is so important, that according to the Rabbis, this was a commandment also enjoined upon the non-Jews by way of the Noahide Laws. (Note that according to Judaism, Jews have 613 commandments while non-Jews have 7.)

Patriotism: Religious Judaism does not care much about the maintenance of a modern State, either ideologically or physically. Religious Judaism believes that Jewish political decisions ultimately rest with God and not with man; so choosing to defend a political ideology, or having the land controlled by secular government is not helpful for achieving the Divine Will. God will choose who wins and loses. This serves to compound the actual Religious issues above, because many see the victory of the Six-Day War to be a Divine Message as to how Israel should be, and this encourages Religious Zionism.

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