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The protests outside the Israeli Embassy at the weekend marked a high point in the self-righteous presumption of the pro-Palestine, or should that be anti-Israeli, movement in this country. Protesters from groups including Stop The War Coalition, the British Muslim Initiative and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign marched to Kensington in their thousands to convey their “rage and anger” over the war in Gaza, resulting in clashes with the police. One of the organisers of the protest, Nick Napier, quoted in the Daily Telegraph said: ‘People are here because they know the trail of blood leads from Gaza back to Britain and Gordon Brown. It’s another year, another war, another massacre.’ This is the crux. Any action by Israel warrants the extreme language deserving of the oppressor of the Palestinian oppressed. In this Manichean world Israel variously slaughters and massacres, is inhumane, callous and barbaric, and commits atrocities, genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. No mention then of the indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel, the readiness of Hamas to use its people as shields against Israeli fire, and its determination to eradicate the state of Israel. Nor that the Egyptian government is equally culpable in not allowing aid and supplies through its Gazan border. This is exacerbated by the accusation, alluded to by Mr Napier, of Western compliance and neglect, warranted by anything short of outright condemnation. Writing in The Guardian last week, Tariq Ramadan offered an insight into this allegation: ‘The current massacres are but a confirmation of the well-known: the “international community” does not really care about the Palestinians, and it is as if the state of Israel, with the support of the US and some European countries, has imposed a state of intellectual terror. Among the presidents and kings, nobody dares to speak out; nobody is ready to say the truth. All are paralysed by fear.’ By this reasoning, the Palestinians are not only fighting the oppression of Israel but also the cowardice of the wider world. Intransigence ignores reality The trouble is, the Free Palestine brigade can’t see the truth for their unflinching morality. They are fighting the battles and arguments of old, entrenching historic grievances and offering nothing towards a peaceful conclusion to the war or a long term settlement that would establish a viable Palestinian state. Their unwavering support for Palestine and the certainty of their convictions is counterproductive. Not only does it ignore the reality of the situation, but it is an attitude that is divisive. Surely it would be more productive to emphasise the shared interests of the Palestinians and Israelis in seeking a two-state solution and the folly of tit-for-tat warfare from both sides that has blighted the region for too long. An opportunity missed In this they have missed an opportunity. Instead of questioning the credibility of Israel’s objectives in Gaza and its commitment to a Palestinian state they have denounced any Israel action with the most outrageous language that drives a wedge between the moderate parties on both sides. There can be no peace in Palestine while such intractable views hold credence on either side of the dispute.
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