When I was 18 or 19, I was in Israel with my family. It was a time in my life when I was finally getting into "good" music, and I wanted to pick up some Israeli CDs while I was there. My family was on the beach in Tel Aviv, but I wandered off and found my to a Tower Records or some other chain.
I spoke to the clerk. I told him I was looking for some Israeli music, but I didn't really know what. He asked me what kind of music I liked, and I told him that I had recently been listening to a lot of Gov'T Mule. We tried out a few things. They were all kind of bluesy, heavy on instrumental with a bit of funk. "I like this," I told him about one album we tried out, "but it's not really an Israeli version of Gov'T Mule."
The clerk looked up to me -- I'll never forget what he said -- he said, "There isn't one. Please resist the temptation to treat Israel as if it were a parallel dimension."
Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is: please resist the temptation to treat Israel as if it were a parallel dimension. I think Israel is a beautiful place with beautiful people. I love it from afar, though I often get very frustrated with it when actually living their, or when living abroad but following its affairs closely. I believe that the Jewish people - like all other nations - have the right to self-determination. But my ethics aren't defined by Judaism and Zionism alone, so I have conflicting beliefs about how Israel ought to behave and govern itself in the 21st century. I'm not a big fan of the current administration, though I take great solace in the fact that Israel is currently in the midst of a free and fair election, and that Netanyahu is trailing his moderate opponents in the polls.
How I feel about Israel mirrors in many ways how I feel about Canada. I am a Canadian. I strongly believe in Jewish and Zionist values, while still having a lot of disagreements with how Israel often behaves. And similarly, I strongly believe in Canadian values, while absolutely detesting our current Canadian government (and working actively to defeat it).
Please resist the temptation to treat Israel as if it were a parallel dimension.