A difficult few days

This has been a difficult few days. The horrific narrative and demonstrations outside Edgware Synagogue showed us how far the pro-palestinian folk will go. They take an event, skew it into selling Palestinian stolen land, MPs talk about it in Parliament and media picks it up. A mob descends on the shul with an activist infiltrating the meeting.

From what I have read, the issue was some sale of land in Area C, within the West Bank but under Israeli legal control. It was taken and twisted into a slogan about Israeli brutality.

Just like the genocide slander, repeat it often enough and it is taken as fact. Arguing with those wishing to believe the worst, give it legitimacy by repeating it at the highest levels and we have a fact. Truth becomes secondary and no amount of argument alters this. The fact that Gwyneth Paltrow got accused of the same crime for advertising apartments in Herziliya, nearly the most central point in the mandated state of Israel, shows how truth is optional.

Leaving out the politics of the West Bank or Judea and Samaria, whatever your preferred name is, allowing a mob to target a religious building is wrong. Deciding to only police it when Jews turned up to defend it, is the same two tier policing we see whenever this left wing rhetoric and luvvies are challenged.

But conversely Palestine Action remains proscribed and the Elbit System attackers got sentenced as terrorists, quite rightly. Reading the social media posts of the luvvies who support them, you would think they were Mother Theresa, but these folk went out to destroy military equipment and took weapons to harm anyone stopping them. They got what they deserve. Every luvvies rolled out in support of this vile group gets what they deserve.

And then we get Trump making a deal with the devil, leaving Israel out of the conversation. I have often said the man is a madman or a genius but I forgot he craves acceptance and power mostly. The optimistic amongst the commentators talk about how it is best that Israel goes it alone, not reliant on any mercurial power. They point to successes against weakened Hamas and Hezbollah but even they acknowledge this deal is not good.

The pessimists see that Israel, for now, has been sold down the river. All agree Israel needs to be as independent from this power as they can be.

This war has not done what it should, had oil and power not been involved. The analyses I have read include Trump bowing to Turkey to stop Kurds rising against Iran, the Gulf states still will not stand against Iran, even as they are attacked, Israel has been isolated even as they are constantly attacked.

But we are not at an end and certainly Israel will continue to deal with Hezbollah and try to contain Hamas. It seems a mess and disheartening but as ever, Israel and Israelis carry on with life. Faith has to be found that there will a future with more peace or long- term quiet. Yesterday I found I needed to keep off social media as it was too much. Today, I will do much the same. Facts and clarity will eventually emerged, this deal will fail as Hezbollah will still attack Israel and life will continue.

Trump could have changed the world, the Middle East. Like every politician, wanted voters approval becomes the priority. He seems to have lost his chance to have changed history but them with him, who the hell knows.

Deep breaths then and on with the week. Because as Jews we have been here many times before and we carry on living the best we can. It’s what we do.

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