Thank you very much for your interest and your comments. I did move to Israel when I was young and I have spent most of my life here. Over the years I became very disillusioned in the direction that Israel is moving. The idea of Israel being considered a “light unto the nations” is so relative. The extremist Islamist regimes of Iran, Hamas-controlled Gaza, Libya and many other rather conservative Arab states are certainly no light to any nation least of all to their own people. However, when we compare Israel to modern democratic Western states such as the US, UK, Western European states generally, it is doubtful if Israel is so progressive. Right wing extremism in the guise of Zionism in the settler movements that believe in colonizing the occupied territories and destroying the two-state solution to this conflict by encroaching and stealing Palestinian lands while Israel has turned a blind eye is a cause of concern to the future of Israel as a democratic state. There are close to 320 000 settlers living in occupied Palestinian areas beyond the green line. The right wing government of Israel is today supportive of these settlers. There is no serious talk about freezing of settlements as the idea of “natural growth” is used as an excuse to carry on the occupation. There are some attempts to pull down illegal housing projects in some of the occupied territories but this is so marginal that it is not really a factor here if one views the whole occupation picture. Today most Zionists are associated with right wing settler policies and so are the majority of the religious Zionists as well. Believe me, I say this with a heavy heart because at the end of the day there will never be peace when both Palestinians and Israelis take up extremist positions. The Labor Party which was considered the leader of moderate left wing Zionism has now lost its identity in the right wing Netanyahu Government which, as you know, includes Avigdor Lieberman’s right wing racist party that considers itself a true Zionist party. This is why I say left wing Zionism has lost its identity and has almost disappeared by being swallowed up into the right wing coalition.

I think your point that “Now that the Jewish People have their national home, Zionism has become dated” misconstrues the nature of Zionism. It wasn’t an idea simply to create a Jewish state, but, of course, to sustain one, in the manner of other states. If one believes in the justice of a Jewish state, one believes in it not merely before the state is created, but after as well, especially when, as always, there are those who wish to destroy or extinguish it.

You may feel left wing Zionism has weakened. Well, for much of forty years American liberalism was weakened. But that didn’t mean it had ceased to exist, or that being American was now synonymous with being right wing or extremist. So I think it is in Israel or any country. When one speaks of the American political situation, one refers simply to the right wing, or even extremists. We know it is America being discussed. One doesn’t identify believing in the legitimacy of an American state with being right wing. When you use the expression “Zionist right wing extremists” the implication seems to be that Zionism is associated in nature with right wing extremism. I know that there are people who, unfortunately, believe that. I was trying to find out if that was what you intended to suggest.

I moved from South Africa to Israel because I was against the apartheid policies of South Africa at the time. I did not have strong Zionist feelings as many in the diaspora have.

Today I classify myself as a non-Zionist or post-Zionist. Zionism means the belief in a national home for the Jewish People - nothing more and nothing less. Now that the Jewish People have their national home, Zionism has become dated, redundant and has become very right wing as well as religiously oriented in many cases. Those who live in the occupied territories consider themselves Zionists and believe in the colonization of greater Israel which is the way they view the West Bank. This is the reason why I use the term right wing Zionist extremists. Right wing extremists are usually fascists or Nazis and I do wish to make that difference by adding the term Zionist in my description of these Zealots. Left wing Zionism has weakened and its influence is hardly felt today. I do hope that I have answered your question.