Dear editor:

Without question there is a worldwide rise in antisemitism.

But what is antisemitism other than an irrational and general hatred of Israel and the Jewish community?

There are those who do not really know what they are protesting and others who have forgotten or never learned the events of history.

This includes the president of the United States, who is against providing certain arms to a country that must protect itself and provide security to its citizens, because he may not approve of the manner in which they are used.

In the war against Germany, people of the U.K. and western Europe were quite happy to accept all American munitions and material even though they would likely be used against civilians (Dresden and Berlin are examples).

America also carried out the deliberate firebombing of Tokyo and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in which tens of  thousands of civilians were killed. This is not an endorsement of these actions, but they did take place.

Israel is a minuscule piece of land taken out of a massive land area that was once Arabia. It was created by the UN in 1947 but never accepted by its hostile neighbours.

Antisemitism has existed for a very long time and in my opinion is based to some extent on envy and resentment by others of Jewish achievements in medicine, science, music and the arts, and technology.

This is something that we should all appreciate, particularly since they come from such a small community.

Because of these hostilities and without warning, in 1967 the Six Day War was commenced by many of Israel’s neighbours and ended six days later with an Israeli win and occupation of parts of Palestine for security reasons.

A heightened level of security is understandable when surrounded by neighbours who call for your destruction.

However, allowing settlements on disputed territory is certainly questionable and will have to be considered in any settlement.

Until Israel is accepted by its neighbours and there is a commitment to non-violence and stopping antisemitism by all parties, a two-state solution for Palestine seems impossible.

And the war against Hamas, with all its devastation, will likely continue, even with a ceasefire agreement.

Derek Collins
NOTL