Reddit mentions of Einstein on Israel and Zionism: His Provocative Ideas About the Middle East

Einstein called himself a Cultural Zionist and opposed any political manifestation of Zionism (i.e. a Jewish state), instead he saw Jewish immigration to Palestine as a way to establish a spiritual and intellectual homeland to Jewish People, in cooperation with the indigenous Arab citizens. This was why he, along with Martin Buber who held the same views as Einstein, sought to support institutions like the Hebrew University. More on this can be read in this book which contains a bunch of letters written by Einstein translated from German.

Einstein was not your typical Zionist. He called the Irgun and Lehi Jewish militias "akin to Nazi and Fascist" parties, that was back in 1946 when Nazism and Fascism were not light words to use, and called the rise of militant Jewish Nationalism a "disaster". He was very much against the idea of a Jewish state, and he only reluctantly accepted it after it was established saying that "there was no turning back."

Resolution 242...which states in the preamble:

Emphasizing further the in admissibly of acquisition of territory by war....hehe that one?

"Yawn yada yada yada Zionist yada yada yada can't yada yada yada law human yada bwah bwah. Let me call an abuwance for you."

Curses, the Seinfeld tactic! It always trumps international law, human rights, and the dignity of people...of course, I'll remember to use that next time.

Oh and Einstein was a cultural Zionist, not a political one. Which, I'm all for actually :)

Einstein's view can be described as "cultural Zionism", the belief that in Palestine Jews could create an entity, a spiritual and intellectual center which would serve to foster Judaism as a culture, and Hebrew as a language, to unite Jews worldwide. In 1929: "It was a great achievement of Herzl to have realized and proclaimed...the establishment of a national home or, more accurately, a center in Palestine..." In this sense there is no question but that "Zionist" is a term that can justly be applied to Einstein.

However, Einstein never favored the existence of Israel as a political state. In fact, his writings attest that he firmly and consistently throughout his life opposed political Zionism. But wasn't that what the movement begun by Herzl was all about? One gets the impression that at the beginning Einstein, it could almost be said, deceived himself about the actual Zionist goals; but as time wore on, the scales fell from his eyes. He came to see that Weizmann and the rest of the Zionists represented a Jewish chauvinism whose realization would render impossible any just rapprochement with the Arab inhabitants of Palestine -- and which in the end would fail. To Weizmann, 1929: "If we are not able to find a way to honest cooperation and honest pacts with the Arabs, then we have learned nothing in our two thousand years of suffering, and deserve the fate which will befall us" (p. 78). In this sense, Einstein was anti-Zionist -- much to the chagrin of Weizmann and the mainstream Zionist movement.

http://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Israel-Zionism-Provocative-Middle/dp/0312362285/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Oh Zionist, you a wonderful one!

But seriously, this whole two state biz is just silly, after the Israelis kinda shot it in the head, and a Jewish state wont work with a growing non-Jewish population (hell in 50 years even, I'll be generous with time), so a just and lasting peace is going to have to be a single state, bi-national with rights for all.

Its what Moses would have wanted.

And all these advices too! how kind and generous of you Zionist!
But i'll pass and stick to what I'm doing, being a free world and all (this is not Israel, for me to fall into line, you know)

;)

And its quite funny, first ignoring Einstein's opinions, yet quoting him. Fine stuff, indeed!