Britain and Israel
It has been said that the government's proposal to impose sanctions on Israeli settlements is deeply misguided and counterproductive and will only play into the hands of more right wing ministers in Jerusalem during a sensitive election campaign. While these arguments are true, there is a more crucial one. Sanctioning the Jewish state risks undermining a vital intelligence relationship during a period when the threat of Islamist and Iranian terror remains palpable. This danger was highlighted by Tom Tugendhat last week when he observed that, thanks to British co-operation with Israel, 'a lot of incidents did not happen' and that Jerusalem had 'helped us to protect British people from terror attacks'. Ex Mossad chief, Yossi Cohen, quoted a former MI5 director-general who told him that the agency had 'disrupted a huge quantity of terror activity inside the UK', adding that he deserved an 'Oscar' for this. All of this is separate from the extensive trade and defence links between the two countries. Yet despite the critical importance of this relationship, the UK treats Israel as a rogue nation that deserves hostility and opprobrium, rather than the important ally she is. It is a shameful reflection of just how irredeemably hostile this Labour government has become.
Dr Jeremy Havardi
B'nai B'rith UK Bureau of International Affairs
Last week once again representatives from various Jewish organisations met he Prime Minister at Number 10 for talks which were as usual described as "friendly and listening" and also "robust".
When are our so called representatives going to stand up and call out Burnham and his cabinet?
For the next "schmooze up" with Andy I suggest we send instead Douglas Murray , Shimon Cohen and journalist Stephen Daisley, whose brilliant opinion piece Jewish heroes who fought for Britain and why their courage matters today, JC August 28) should be prominently displayed in every synagogue in the UK.
Llewellyn Gaba
Cardiff
Shimon Cohen (Letters, September 4) bemoans the UK’s and others’ reaction to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 compared with that of the Western world’s response to Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
He has surely noticed that Russian is much, much larger than Ukraine, which therefore needed a huge amount of military support. Israel, on the other hand, thankfully does not need military support from the UK. In fact, according to the House of Commons library, the value of UK arms exports to Israel had dropped to £18 million in 2023 – before the war had even begun. That really is a mere drop in the ocean.
Also, when attacking the UK government over Iran’s intentions, Mr Cohen appears to forget that in 2025 – during the first round of Iranian missile strikes on Israel – RAF jets shot down a lot of missiles and drones en route to Israel.
A little perspective would not go amiss.
Joe Millis.
London SE21
Shimon Cohen claims Britain's response to Hamas's October 7th 2023 attack was to suspend arms export licences to Israel.
The immediate response was a strong statement of support for Israel by the UK Prime Minister which was followed by a visit to the country. Within a week support ships and surveillance aircraft were being sent to support Israeli military activity. The UK refused to support UN resolutions on the issue which did not condemn the Hamas action.
Some months later, as the consequences of Israel's actions in Gaza became apparent, public opinion in the West became concerned about the fate of its civilian citizens. The British response in terms of arms supply came in September 2024 almost a year after the Hamas attack. It suspended around 30 out of 350 export licences and excluded components of the F-35 fighter jet programs from the ban.
The real culprit in supporting Hamas is none other than Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu who in the years before 2023 encouraged Qatar to provide millions of dollars to Hamas. With no effective oversight much of these funds were diverted to strengthen Hamas's military potential including the development of the notorious tunnels.
Now that the UK has announced a much stronger boycott of exports from the settlements, remember that this is in response to Jewish terrorists (as the US Ambassador called them) attacking and evicting Arab residents in the territories from their homes while the Israeli Defence Forces stand by supinely. If Palestinian terrorists had attempted the same actions against Jewish homes in the territories they would have been shot dead.
The real issue here is Israeli behaviour not British reactions.
Professor Leslie Wagner CBE
Jerusalem
A challenge to the US
I feel quite overwhelmed and excited by the invitations to visit shuls received in your newspaper and elsewhere following my Schmooze article (I visited five US shuls in a weekend – all full of life, JC August 14). I have accepted all the invitations and am happy to receive more.
I recently attended a barmitzvah at the Tiferes Yisroel shul, Temple Fortune. It was heaving, packed out with an atmosphere of real energy with all the children milling around the ark. It was a pleasure and privilege to be there
In these trying times with antisemitism at its highest level for years , the Jewish community in this country still has life and energy which should be built upon and expanded. The United Synagogue should take advantage, stand up and make its voice more readily heard. It should not be afraid to express its core values and its support for Israel, our only true security The rabbis who attended the recent rabbinical conference should listen seriously to their constituents.
It could be more outspoken in political circles especially at the Board of Deputies, where the anti-Israel invective seems to be getting stronger.
At the time of the Jewish New Year, the US, its rabbis and all of us should be blowing the shofar loudly for our security, our core values and the State of Israel, with hope, vigour and enthusiasm.
Jonathan Metliss
London W1
Israel’s choice
At West London Synagogue’s Shabbat Nitzavim service, celebrating the synagogue’s renewal, I read Moses’ words placing before the Israelites the choice between life and death and commanding them: “Choose life.” It made me think about renewal for Israel in these troubled times.
This was not a party-political instruction, but it offers Israelis a solemn test at the forthcoming election: which choice will best protect life, uphold justice, restore Israel’s moral standing in the world and secure a peaceful future?
Israel will be deciding not merely who governs it, but what kind of nation it wishes to be.
Trevor Lyttleton MBE
London NW11
BBC complaints
You reported (JC, August 28) that the BBC rejected a complaint stating the expression "Moneybags Rothschild" was not antisemitic. This is in line with their responses to a number of complaints I have submitted to it the over the years. Their replies fill one side of an A4 sheet of paper and can be summarised as follows; "You are wrong. We are right. The BBC is always right.
Geoffrey Bernstein
Stanmore
Controlling behaviour
It would be nice if UN Secretary General Guterres really believes that Israel rapporteurs are “out of control” (Our special rapporteurs are ‘out of control’ over Israel, admits UN Secretary General, JC September 4) But I don’t believe that he really thinks that. “Out of control” is an idiomatic English expression implying unconstrained and generally bad behaviour. It is clear from the rest of your report that Guterres is merely saying that they work independently of the UN Secretariat, without any implied judgement on the quality of their work. He simply means that they are outside his control, which is a different proposition entirely.
Stephen Collins
Pinner
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