Can ethno-religious identities and self determination be maintained in a state of equal rights? If not, are these failures justified?
A question primarily based on the context of this clip, in which the premise that ethno religious identity or self determination is somewhat repressed in a state of equal rights is heavily implied.
It has always baffled me as to why the interviewers are posing this contention between "jewish state" and "state of equal rights" as if they are necessarily mutually exclusive. I understand that proponents of zionism claim that jewish sovereignty is necessary to ensure the protection of jewish interests and safety, and often cite historic oppression and their vulnerability in the unpredictable changes in political environments they cannot control. I don't believe that a group's goals of self preservation in itself is inherently wrong. But is jewish sovereignty and governance not possible as a state of equal rights, in which all citizens are equal, individual rights are preserved, and the rights of minority groups are also protected? It's reasonable to assume that this is what Mamdani meant in this context.
We see this possible in the case of native americans in America, where, as another ethno-religious group, one wouldn't (?) usually claim that self determination of their identity is prevented despite their existence in a secular state, but it is instead actually protected by laws. Or famously in Singapore, where the interests of each religious group is protected equally in a multicultural society.
So I suppose, giving the BOD to the interviewers that they aren't simply trying to make Mamdani look bad and actually wish to make a distinction between a Jewish state and a state of equal rights, in that a state of equal rights is implied to be the somewhat less desirable option between the two, in what cases or policies typically observed in an equal, non-hierarchical society might we see Jewish interests being repressed or ignored?
On the other hand, if the interviewers are wrong, and it IS possible, as seen in other multicultural societies, why is this not yet a reality - or rather, what is preventing this from becoming a reality in Israel?