Mick Hartley

Allison Pearson in the Telegraph:

Over the past few days, with a small group of friends and colleagues, I have helped set up British Friends of Israel and gathered support for The October Declaration. Signatories include Sir Tom Stoppard, Dame Maureen Lipman, Sir Tim Rice, Vanessa Feltz, the former head of British Intelligence Sir Richard Dearlove, Countdown’s Rachel Riley and broadcasting titan Andrew Neil; all part of a 200-strong group which features members of the House of Lords, MPs, celebrated historians, professors and journalists like me.

We all stand in support of British Jews and their right to live their lives in this country without fear. We unequivocally condemn the horrifying terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel on 7 October and the suffering Hamas has brought on the Palestinian people. We deplore the subsequent increase in antisemitism, we ask the media, members of all political parties and the general public to call Hamas what it is – a terrorist organisation – and we demand that the police use the full force of the Terrorism Act against its supporters.

None of us ever imagined such a thing would be necessary in this country in the 21st century but, sadly, here we are….

The lack of visible support for Israel is demoralising. The Government must not give up ground to the mob, but can we trust it to hold firm? Some Jews are deeply upset; others, resigned, talk of packing their bags.

As the barrister Francis Hoar, one of my fellow organisers, puts it: “The British reaction to the horrific massacres in Israel should unsettle us all. Unqualified celebration of behaviour equivalent to the Einsatzgruppen on our streets; the failure to condemn indiscriminate murder without qualification; and the failure of our police forces to control protesters, arrest those glorifying terror and protect our Jewish community.”

“Perhaps worst of all has been the juxtaposition of small numbers of largely Jewish people commemorating the dead and calling for the return of hostages with tens of thousands marching alongside banners glorifying their killers. Now more than ever must the British people stand up for our Jewish community that has made such an incomparable contribution to every aspect of our history and our society. We stand with you, now and always.”

I agree with every word of that. If you think this isn’t your fight, pay attention to the words of our greatest living writer, a matchless chronicler of the Jewish experience, Sir Tom Stoppard: “Before we take up a position on what’s happening now we should consider whether this is a fight over territory or a struggle between civilisation and barbarism.”

If you would like to show support for our Jewish brothers and sisters, for whom this country, their country, our country, is no longer a place of safety, please go to britishfriendsofisrael.org and sign The October Declaration.

Too often, declarations such as this are moral posturing, empty words from the great and the good, I know. But if it helps Jewish people to feel less alone, then it will have been worth it.

I've signed.