Labour should take a stand against the excesses of the Israeli government, amid mounting violence in the West Bank, says Dr Anthony Isaacs. Plus letters from Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah of Oxfam and Godfrey Stadlen
Your leader on the Palestinian territories is timely (The Guardian view on mob violence in the West Bank: a new low, 28 February). The appalling settler rampage through Huwara, abetted by Israeli troops and encouraged by avowedly far-right and racist members of the governing coalition, has been likened in Israel to a pogrom and Kristallnacht. It is not necessary to seek precise equivalence to feel revulsion for the acts of vengeance in Huwara.
You point to the dangers of escalating violence and state that “this [Israeli] government cannot be left to wreak more damage”, but give no clues as to how they might be deterred. The first essential for dealing with a problem is to recognise that it exists. Although there has been no acknowledgment of the current escalation from the British government, the shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, has met the Palestinian ambassador to the UK and discussed what he referred to as “shocking settler violence” and the need for accountability for violations of international law. Consideration of these matters is too often met by accusations of antisemitism, yet openly critical opinions of the current Israeli government are increasingly prevalent in the mainstream Jewish community.
