It’s sad that the anti-Israel lobby are doing all they can to demonise Israel and its elected leader Binyamin Netanyahu (Letters, 8 September), but their claims and hate-filled rhetoric are without substance. How low will they stoop in their malicious misrepresentation of Israel as the cause, and Netanyahu as the one to blame, for of all the world’s problems? According to their distorted worldview Israel is now responsible for the refugee crisis. I have no doubt that some innocent Palestinians have escaped the oppressive Hamas-led regime in Gaza. They may well have joined the vast groundswell of refugees from war-torn Syria. However, to link the current refugee crisis with Netanyahu’s trip to the UK and the Gaza conflict is a deliberate attempt to imply guilt independent of the facts.
The Syrian conflict has seen almost 200,000 people killed and over 10 million displaced. Nearly 4 million have sought refuge in other countries and now we are seeing a massive influx into Europe. The scale of this crisis is immense, and there are no easy answers to the problem. Indeed we need to pray for David Cameron and our government in how they address this heart-rending issue. It’s underhand that a human catastrophe of this magnitude should be used by the anti-Israel lobby as a battering ram against Netanyahu. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, and the UK should be fully supporting Israel as our only hope for security and stability in the region. Demands for sanctions and an arms embargo against Israel should be denounced. Israel supports freedom of religion whereas Christians in other parts the Middle East are among the most persecuted people on Earth. In Israel, Jews, Christians and Muslims coexist and have equal rights. We should applaud Israel for this religious freedom. We welcome Netanyahu to the UK and are pleased that our government recognises who our true friends are.
Des Starritt
Executive director, Christians United for Israel UK
• The Jewish Leadership Council proudly welcomes Binyamin Netanyahu to the UK. His visit is particularly significant as our community enjoys great freedom and security here, and our deep and close relationship with the state of Israel plays an ever more important role in our culture and identity. It is for that reason that we are delighted to join members of our community in Whitehall to show solidarity with Prime Minister Netanyahu during his visit. I truly hope that Britain will continue to be at the forefront of protecting Israel, enforcing the provisions of the Iran agreement, if it is ratified, and standing against Iran’s dangerous destabilising policies in the Middle East. The success of UK-Israel trade and cultural ties are well known, and I hope the political link continues to emulate them.
Simon Johnson
CEO, Jewish Leadership Council
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