Letters - 17 April 2026
From antisemitism to 'Not our way'
Antisemitism
In the issue of 27 March, several letters address the question of antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Again there is a confusion between anti-Zionism – which opposes the existence of the Jewish state – and a dissatisfaction with the current government and policies of Israel. If democratic states were abolished because outsiders were displeased with the elected leaders of them, where would we be?
Oliver Müller’s letter accuses Israel of ‘cruel ethnic cleansing’ and of creating ‘a racist and apartheid state’. The accusation of apartheid has an interesting history. From its beginning Israel has been a mostly successful experiment in the inclusion of Arabs and Jews and all religions and backgrounds into the polity. There are no laws limiting Arab or Muslim citizens’ activities in Israel. It is not remotely like the old South Africa with its rigorous separation of races. There are Arabs in the professions and government. No one thought of the apartheid slur until 1956 when the Soviet Union gave up hoping that Israel might become a communist foothold in the Middle East and planted this misinformation in the west. It gained a new lease on life in 2001 at the misnamed World Conference Against Racism in Durban. It is said that one glance at a Tel Aviv beach is enough to disprove the apartheid lie.
Anyone is welcome to join the Quaker Friends of Israel mailing list or to visit the QFI Facebook page. Contact info@quakerfriendsofisrael.co.uk.
Sarah Lawson
Sarah Lawson says there is little if any difference between antisemitism and anti-Zionism. I disagree, I think there is a huge difference. I don’t believe that I am an antisemite but I do have a huge problem with the way the state of Israel and its supporters have behaved over the years.
Rather than look back at the founding of Israel, will people please look at the behaviour of Israel since its birth, and especially what it has done over the last few years. The establishment of Israel was always going to be problematic because there were people already living in Palestine, but it could have been handled differently, and maybe Europe should have done more to tackle its antisemitism rather than support sending all the Jewish people somewhere else.
Kate Taylor
