In 1939 Churchill famously described the Soviet Union as “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma". If only he had had Prince Harry – the Duke of Sussex, if we’re being formal – alongside him to guide him through those early months of conflict, the Second World War might have been all over within a few weeks.
Luckily for us, we do have the benefit of his wisdom. Last month the Duke of Sussex shared his thoughts on Ukraine, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin with the world. The world, it would be fair to say, was not as grateful for his insights as perhaps we should have been, given Prince Harry’s lifelong study of Central and Eastern European geopolitics and his renowned expertise in diplomacy and statecraft.
But our cup runneth over. Prince Harry has now turned his attention to the Middle East, to Israel and to the British Jewish community. Indeed, to the very basis and meaning of Judaism.
Time was when the attention of a royal – even a royal who is no longer a royal – would have led much of Anglo-Jewry to doff its metaphorical cap to the purveyor of whatever attention we were given. We do, of course, say a prayer for the Royal Family every Shabbat. But while Prince Harry will always be from a royal family, he is no longer in the Royal Family. He is, in effect, some random bloke who lives in California with his wife and kids. But when you have as towering an ego as the Duke of Sussex seems to possess, why let your near-total ignorance of the subject and your lack of any relevant credentials stop you from opining?
And so today he has written an article for the New Statesman on the Middle East, Israel and the British Jewish community. It is as insightful and worth reading as you would expect.
He begins with the usual fine words about antisemitism that anyone who is about to say something idiotic, or worse, always begins with: “Across the country, we are seeing a deeply troubling rise in anti-Semitism. Jewish communities – families, children, ordinary people – are being made to feel unsafe in the very places they call home. That should alarm us, but also unite us. Because hatred directed at people for who they are, or what they believe, is not protest. It is prejudice. Recent incidents, including lethal violence in London and Manchester, have brought this into sharp and deeply troubling focus.”
Indeed. He continues: “We have seen how legitimate protest against state actions in the Middle East does exist alongside hostility toward Jewish communities at home”. Then – here comes the ‘but’ – “just as we have also seen how criticism of those actions can be too easily dismissed or mischaracterised.”
It’s back to the old canard that those of us who point out what is actually being said and done on the “protest against state actions” are "mischaracterising” them. How are we doing that? Prince Harry doesn’t spell it out, but there’s only one way in which we are ever accused of “mischaracterising” protests against Israel: by pointing out their antisemitism.
Thing is, no one is “mischaracterising” anything. We are simply reporting what is being said and done on the marches.
Then Harry plunges off the diving board into the deep end: “There has been little room for nuance, deepening the confusion that fuels division. That debate has also ignored the diversity of views within Jewish communities, including many who are openly and publicly critical of certain state actions.”
There you have it. For Prince Harry, there are some British Jews who, in effect, bring their troubles on themselves. But there are others who should be let off the hook, because they are “openly and publicly critical of certain state actions.” (And why the coyness about spelling out the word Israel? You think there is another state British Jews are expected to denounce?)
Prince Harry, you see, is not just an expert on geopolitics, on antisemitism and on the nuances of Anglo-Jewry. He is also an expert on international law: “We cannot ignore a difficult truth: when states act without accountability, and in ways that raise serious questions under international humanitarian law – criticism is both legitimate, necessary and essential in any democracy. The consequences do not remain contained within borders. They reverberate outward, shaping perception, inflaming tensions.” Ah yes, it’s Gaza that is leading to attacks on British Jews. Of course. Nothing to do with naked antisemitism. It’s all a response to Israel. We’re back to denouncing Israel or getting what you deserve.
But boy oh boy are we lucky, because Prince Harry is not just an expert on geopolitics, on antisemitism, on the nuances of Anglo-Jewry and on international law. He is also a Torah scholar, who can tell us what is and what isn’t Judaism. Writing of Gaza, he decrees: “The onus falls squarely on the state – not an entire people. Such actions have nothing to do with Judaism.”
Maimonides, Schmaimonides. How have we coped until now without the insights of Prince Harry?
Abraham Lincoln famously remarked that it’s better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt. Indeed.
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