A longstanding and very dear Jewish friend, Michael Leaver, has asked me to allow him to make a post about his ‘take’ on affairs in Israel and Gaza. I am very happy to do so, below; I’ve not changed anything that he’s written. We’ve discussed this situation face to face and Michael knows that I agree with him about many of the points that he’s made. My only reservation is that I’m uneasy, as he knows, about the concept, morally, of ‘eliminating’ an entire organisation. But I’m perhaps even more concerned about whether such an objective is, in practice, achievable. We live in a world where many are committed to causes (whether supported by evidence or not), and I fear that any attempt to eliminate Hamas will simply result in those eliminated being replaced by a larger and perhaps even more belligerent group of individuals, perhaps from other countries around the world. But, again as Michael knows, I have no solution to the problem, partly because of some of the points that he makes.

Dear James,
Thank you for allowing me to put a solely ‘Jewish’ spin on current happenings both with
regard to the Israel-Gaza conflict and the rise in antisemitism in this country and abroad.
For the record, I am a fifth or sixth generation Jew, having lived and worked in the UK all my
life. As educated at a public school, served two years in the RAF, and after selling my
electronics distribution company, became active in City of London institutions. Would
probably be considered by most as an average ‘establishment’ figure.
In my opinion the situation is simple, though rather brutal. If Israel does not eliminate
Hamas now, then Hamas, (in a way to their credit for not being hypocritical), who have
made no secret of their aim to remove Israel from the map and annihilate all Israelis, will
attack time and time again until their declared object is achieved. And rockets will continue
to rain down on Israel’s civilian population and in all likelihood, there will be repeats of the
October 7th outrages. Like any other human being, I greatly regret the loss of life in Gaza,
(maybe now around 25,000). But can I ask? How many other invading forces send warnings
beforehand to the civilian population? And may I suggest that the high death rate is
compounded by the fact that Hamas have deliberately established themselves in the midst
of residences, hospitals and schools.
Just suppose Hamas were located in Scotland or Wales, and we English were the object of
their attempts to destroy us. Would the government of the day do nothing or maybe try to
negotiate with an enemy whose declared aim would be our complete annihilation? Would
we not use our armed forces to sublimate such an aggressor? I suggest the answer would
be to fight back and attempt to avoid future confrontations.
(Incidentally, some 21% of the population in Israel are Arabs living a generally contented
life and occupying senior positions in politics and the military. And were you aware that the
fastest growing and safest Christian community in the Middle-East is situated in Israel?).
Please do not think that I approve of everything Israel does.
Before this present conflict broke out I was, (and remain), a harsh critic of the way the Israeli right
wing government, (thanks to the folly of proportional representation with its often uneasy
coalitions), was attempting to erode democracy in Israel. Also, I remain aghast at the
reports of brutal treatment to Arabs in occupied areas and the creation of ‘illegal’ Jewish
settlements. Whilst no great admirer of the weak and corrupt government in Palestine, I
believe Israel could have done a great deal more to achieve a satisfactory ‘modus vivendi’. I
do believe in the ‘Two State Solution’. Like many UK Jews, I regret that the Oslo Agreement
has so far fallen well short of its earlier promise. I greatly welcome the Abrahamic Accords,
which currently may be slightly on the back foot, but which bode well for the future when
the more enlightened, (and pragmatic!) Arab states will wish to trade with Israel and accept
her as a partner in the troubled Middle-East.

I also believe that, when the war in Gaza is over, and assuming, hopefully, that Hamas is no
more, it will be necessary for a consortium of Arab and maybe some Western countries, to
oversee the rebuilding of Gaza and to establish an administration which will live peacefully
alongside Israel.
Now let me turn to the manifestation of anti-Israel and antisemitic feeling being now being
so clearly demonstrated world-wide. The United Nations has called on Israel for a cease
fire. I do not recall this reaction when Russia blatantly invaded the Ukraine – a sovereign
state living at peace. Women’s Rights organisations, so loud in their condemnation of
women raped, tortured and killed elsewhere, saying nothing or very little or very late,
about the atrocities carried out by Hamas on their dreadful incursion into Israel. The
discovery – long suspected – that 7 UNRWA members in Gaza have aided and abetted
Hamas in their war efforts.
And here in the U.K.. Those many marches, understandably and accepted as being pro-
Palestinian but turning into rallies openly showing antagonism towards Jews. The
defacement of pictures of those hostages taken by Hamas; the hate mail sent to Jewish
politicians and other Jews with threats of physical violence; the slogans painted on
synagogues, cemeteries and Jewish schools. Although I live in a neighbourhood with a fair
sprinkling of Jews, (and Muslims and Indians and others) where antisemitism is not
apparent, I know that many of my co-religionists are now fearful of venturing out wearing
anything that could identify them as being Jewish.
Despite what I see and read about, and my earlier one-time misgivings about living here in
Britain, I cannot think of another country where decency, freedom, multi-culturalism,
democracy and a sense of fair play are the back bone of our country. And I have always
acknowledged that basically this is a Christian society and that Christian ethics, (which
derive from Jewish ethics), underpin this society. I remain proud to be an Englishman,
privileged to have served my country, (in a very minor way), and glad to be a Jew able to
observe and practise my faith.

Michael Leaver

Heavenly Father, we know that such conflicts between your children grieve you to the heart. Help us weak humans to find some way of bringing this terrible conflict to a permanent end.