It is always a source of pride to be in the JC. Being the front-page lead is any Jewish mother's son's dream. But as I read last week's front-page headline (MPs' Palestine vote shows Israel has 'lost UK public'), I realised it risked leaving the wrong impression of what I thought. Three points in particular merit a little more clarity.
First, I do not think that Israel has yet "lost" the UK public. Losing, certainly - for anyone other than the most determined shutter-outers of reality, this was not an easy summer for Israel's standing in Britain and around the world. But it is not yet lost. There is a hard core on the fringe who hate Israel, and will never be happy whatever Israel does. But the vast majority of Brits do not have strong opinions on the subject, or spend much of their time thinking about it. They were upset by the pictures from the Gaza conflict, they know they do not like the announcements of new building in settlements, but they are not fundamentally hostile to Israel. Quite the reverse - I am confident that, if Israel ever found a way to resolve the Palestinian issue, all but the hardest-core critics of Israel would turn their attention to other things. I believe Israel is gradually losing the mainstream. But the mainstream is still to play for.
Second, by saying this I do not mean to imply that, in every respect, Israel is in the wrong and the Palestinians are in the right. David Cameron repeatedly condemned the thousands of Hamas rockets launched indiscriminately at Israel through the summer, and indeed blamed Hamas for triggering the conflict. The kidnap and murder of the three teenagers at the start of the summer was a gruesome and despicable act. And we raise cases of incitement with the Palestinian authorities whenever they come to our attention.
That said, there were Israeli actions during the Gaza conflict that gave us all real concern – the heavy civilian death toll, including among those sheltering in UN schools, and the death of more than 500 children, including the shelling of boys playing football on the beach. We have made clear our call that these incidents should be properly investigated. And the series of settlement announcements after the conflict has done huge damage to Israel, particularly with those who defended Israel through the summer and - in the words of one senior MP - now feel that they have been made to look like fools.
Third, I did not make clear that I make the observation about Israel losing public opinion with a heavy heart, as a friend of Israel, representing a Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary who are also firm friends of Israel, and a government that regards Israel as a strategic partner. I have spent more than four years doing everything I can to build the relationship between Britain and Israel, in trade, tech, science, security, and numerous other fields besides.
I don't think that Israel has 'lost' the UK public
It is precisely because I care about Israel, and about the relationship between Britain and Israel, that I sounded the alarm. I see which way the wind is blowing, and I do not like it.
Matthew Gould is the British Ambassador to Israel