I support Israel because of many reasons, and so I selected it in the poll, although my preference would be a two-state solution because I see no other way really...
Some things to point out:
A survey found:
77% of Israeli Arabs would rather live in Israel than in any other country in the world, or that,
73% of the Jews and 94% of the Arabs want Israel to "be a society in which Arab and Jewish citizens have mutual respect and equal opportunities.
According to the poll, 68% of Jewish citizens support teaching conversational Arabic in Jewish schools to help bring Arab and Jewish citizens together.
I believe there is a big difference between Israeli government policy, and everyday Israeli citizens...
This tells me that whilst I believe Israeli foreign policy is regrettable but in some cases expectable given the circumstances by which Israel is in, I do believe that the majority of people in Israel have a much more conscious understanding of a pluralistic society, of secularism, of democracy, of womens rights, of gay rights, of free speech, of freedom of and from religion, and much more. It is these qualities that lend my support to the Israeli people.
Regardless of Israeli and the Jewish communities contribution to the world (its disproportionate contribution), they've been on the wrong end of the boot for hundreds of years which is why I think it is expected that Israeli foreign policy is as controversial as it is, and why I understand that when the nations around it harbour terrorist organisations and psychotic theocrats bent on its destruction, Israel may in fact give a damn about protecting its own citizens.
Israel's seven research universities (excluding the Open University) are consistently ranked among top 500 in the world. Israel ranks third in the world in the number of academic degrees per capita (20 percent of the population). Israel has produced five Nobel Prize-winning scientists since 2002 and publishes among the most scientific papers per capita of any country in the world. Israel has the most museums per capita in the world. Israel leads world in stem cell research papers per capita since 2000. In 2009 Israel was ranked 2nd among 20 top countries in space sciences by Thomson Reuters agency. Over 90% of Israeli homes use solar energy for hot water, the highest per capita in the world. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, and permits gay adoptions and protects gays from discrimination both in society and in the military.
Whilst I think Israel has blood on its hands due to its foreign policy, and they could be perhaps more diplomatic in their approach to certain things... as a gay, freedom-loving, secularist, atheist, humanist and whatever else... there is only one country in the Middle East that I would ever live in... Israel.
I do believe, however, that a two-state solution is perhaps the best way because I don't see how else you can fix something like this. And as sad as it seems, a two-state solution would no doubt show why Israel has been a success story, lending its importance to science, academics, democracy, individual liberty... over religion. If Palestine existed as a country, it would no doubt have the exact same problems as any other theocratic nation, only those criticising Israel probably wouldn't bother criticising the human rights abuses going on in any other country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yix1AnBnU4
Poll
Topic: Pro Israel or Pro Palestine?