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Mike Walker's avatar

Inaya… did you do any filming?

Video storybook?

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Charlotte's avatar

I believe envy is a primary driver for the Palestinian cause.

Wonderful piece. Similarly I didn’t pay much attention to Israel-Palestine prior to October 7th. It seemed too complicated and fraught. All that changed for me and I decided to do the research needed to understand the situation in the Middle East. For me there is no other option than to support civilisation in the face of barbarism.

I lived in the UK until I was 31. I am deeply saddened by the decline there, but I fear that Australia, where I have lived for 24 years, is heading in the same direction.

I look forward to going to Israel next month.

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Janice LeCocq's avatar

Wonderful essay. Your observations about Great Britain apply to the USA as well.

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Mike Izzard's avatar

I loved your article, Inaya, and I'm so pleased you found the time and made the effort to go see for yourself. I spent a couple of months in Israel in '91 - working on a moshav and just taking in the country. I loved the energy, the optimism and the diversity of the place - diversity with unity though, couldn't we in Britain learn from that? There was trouble at that time, cross-border raids by Hezbollah were a weekly, sometimes daily, occurrence, but life felt free and easy and relaxed. Everybody hitch-hiked everywhere, which was no longer the case in England, it was easy to get a ride - back home we were becoming fearful and insular, Israel felt more like the free and easy 60s. If I had been Jewish, I would definitely have wanted to return to stay and help build the country. I've hated the way Israel has been propagandised against over the past three decades, and I have come to the view that the bias against Israel and the deliberate lies and misrepresentation can only be explained by deep-seated antisemitism - the oldest prejudice of them all. But I know that many people won't agree with that. Anyway, thanks again for your article - some light at a dark time.

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James M. Boekbinder's avatar

Great essay, very interesting to read a firsthand impression and comparison like this.

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