Sympathy For Israel

I should say that I am of Jewish ancestry, but I am not Jewish. In fact I'm an atheist.

I was at University in 1967 and remember the Arab-Israeli War of that year well. I can still hear the wonderfully accurate reporting of Michael Elkins on the BBC from Jerusalem.

For quite a few years after that, Israel had the world's sympathy.

Now nearly forty years on, that sympathy for Israel has all but evaporated. And it evaporated especially fast in the last few years as they have got more vicious and more intractable about dealing with their neighbours.

The escalation of trouble will end in one of two things.

Israel will settle with its neighbours and use its industrial and economic might to benefit the whole region. Or Israel will be destroyed by the forces that surround it.