Call for common justice

Sir: Rod Liddle’s piece on the true desires of Palestinians was rare in its acceptance of the complexity of aspiration (‘What Hamas promised its electorate’, 28 October). People cleave to those who stand for their best hopes. They voted for Hamas. Rod ends saying only Israeli Arabs in his experience did not loathe Jews. Why would they? Presumably being the right side of the ‘peace’ wall, they had no fear of losing their birthright to illegal settlers acting in defiance of UN resolutions with official acquiescence. If the Israeli rule of law could have extended to the occupied West Bank Arabs, then there would be no indefensible double standard. It is clearly a missed opportunity and did not need a ‘two state solution’, just common justice and sense. This was and still is within the gift of the Israeli government.

The government in Tel Aviv is no less a hostage to its fundamental religious extremists than any other. The Ottomans administered a broad church in Palestine rather better than more recent attempts, but did so by denying rights of tenure to Jews. The boot being on the other foot is no better. This is a sad time, made more so by the unwillingness of many here and there to accept difference and coexistence.

Richard Titchener
Maldon, Essex 

Demonstration of restraint

Sir: Regarding the policing of recent demonstrations in London, I think Douglas Murray is unfair to the Met ‘numpties’, as he calls them (‘Does the Met know what jihad means?’, 28 October). A basic principle of policing crowds – or a street-corner gang for that matter – is to never be goaded into giving some of them what they want: the kudos of being arrested. Putting handcuffs on someone is often the trigger for others to lose all restraint.

Policing a demo isn’t an exact science and, unlike the French, the Met don’t readily dole out summary justice with water cannon and tear gas. No, our cops carry on in a very British tradition by choosing to ignore minor acts of silliness, the general tone being: let them get on with it then we can all go home (but if they’ve turned up for a fight, then fine, let’s get stuck in).

Richard Hill, former Met PC (retd)
Hitchin, Herts

Fear on the Underground

Sir: I want to thank Douglas Murray for his understanding comment about how glad he was not to be a Jew in the carriage when the Tube driver led passengers in pro-Palestinian chants. I was that Jew. When I went to board that train and saw every carriage packed with protestors carrying anti-Israel placards and Palestinian flags, I almost turned around and walked away. I then thought that my father didn’t go off to fight in the war at the tender age of 18 for his daughter to be too frightened to board a train in her hometown in the 21st century because she’s wearing a mezuzah, (an ancient Jewish good luck charm) and a small badge saying ‘Fight Terror, Support Israel’. Within minutes of the driver’s encouragement the carriage rang with deafening whoops of ‘From the River to the Sea Palestine Will be Free’. This was two weeks after the Hamas atrocities in Israel. I have seen a glimpse of the future of Jews in Britain, and I greatly fear what I see.

Wendy Henry
London NW2

The next tragedy

Sir: Peter Oborne mistakenly conflates two events into one when describing the Naqba (‘Catastrophe’) as the time when 750,000 Arabs left Israel (‘Letter from Jerusalem’, 28 October). In 1947 the UN Partition Plan gave the Arabs a state. While this was accepted by Israel, it was rejected by the Arabs, who then launched a war against the Jews living in Israel. During this war, the Arab leaders in the countries surrounding and at war with the Jewish state instructed Arabs to leave Israel with the promise that, once the Jews were driven out from Israel, they would be able to return and take over the vacated Jewish properties. Many left, but many stayed, becoming Israeli citizens. Some of their descendants have since become members of the Israeli parliament and judges in the Supreme Court.

It was the re-establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 that was the (Naqba) tragedy, as the Arabs realised, to paraphrase the words of Abba Eban, that they had again missed an opportunity.

Martin Kaye
London N2

Time to reflect

Sir: I read Paul Rackow’s letter (21 October) with interest. I am a Labour supporter but in my working life in local government have had many Conservative bosses who would I am sure not understand or appreciate the type of right-wing populism that their party has drifted towards. Rackow is correct that some of the rhetoric used now is not worthy of the party and should not be countenanced. Contrary to perceived wisdom, the public are generally fair-minded and I would surmise that even loyal Tory members are shaking their heads in dismay. So yes: a period of reflection in opposition would indeed be beneficial.

Judith A. Daniels
Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

A magnificent series

Sir: May I thank Sinclair McKay for his excellent article about The World at War (‘The world in awe’, 21 October). It persuaded me to dig out my DVD and watch all 26 episodes again (being a mere one and a half years old in 1973, I missed it the first time around). My only gripe with this magnificent series is that I do not have one: a measure of how thorough and imperious it is. Maybe it is time for a follow up, The World at Peace, to show how since 1945 the world has become a much more dangerous place and the hard-won peace, paid for in blood, is a sad myth.

Chris Daniels
Chesterfield 

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