Levantine demographic realities

In case you missed it, Haaretz reported last week that for first time in half a century, Jews are no longer a majority between the Jordan River and the sea. The New York Times interprets this demographic development to mean that unless the Israelis "yield territory, they will have to choose a Jewish state or a democratic one; they will not be able to have both."

The only quibble one can have with this observation is with the verb tense. In fact, every day that the Israelis continue their de facto rule over the West Bank while denying some of its residents the right to vote, Israel is choosing Jewishness over democracy. And then people wonder why so much of the world scoffs at the Likudnik talking point that Israel is "the only democracy in the Middle East."

Memo to AIPAC: "democracy" doesn't mean only letting people you like vote.