Hamas’ terror attack on Israel has put Jewish people in "grave danger", a Labour peer has suggested.
Lord Turnberg also stressed the current situation in Israel "would improve" as the Israel-Hamas conflict passes the one-month mark.
Speaking on a panel at a StandWithUs UK reception on 2 November, the Jewish peer added: "Reason will prevail. We are going through terrible times and face grave danger. I believe this is a phase and will improve.”
StandWithUs UK, an educational charity, hosted the private reception last week at the House of Lords where attendees discussed the ongoing war and the important relationship and shared values between the UK and Israel.
At the event, which was attended by charity staff, friends, and university students recognised for their activism, the educational charity released their new educational booklet titled ‘UK-Israel: A Relationship of Shared Values’.
SWU House of Lords Event 2023 (0829)
Attendees at a special event in the House of Lords, hosted by StandWithUs UK, November 2, 2023 (Credit: StandWithUs UK)
Conservative peer Lord Polak, who attended the reception, told attendees: “I know we will see good from this. Don’t underestimate the work you all do.”
The panel was moderated by journalist Catherine Perez-Shakdam, who acknowledged the significance of the event date as the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, the pivotal moment the UK supported the creation of a Jewish state.
She said: “The current anti-Israel and antisemitic discourse prays on people’s anger [and] offers hate as an answer. But these narratives don’t last, they are exhausting.”
Lana Saffrin Betesh, chair of StandWithUs UK, said: “We salute you, and you are never alone. You are part of a family, and you are part of a phenomenal organisation who will be with you every step of the way.”
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