A few years ago I was flattered to be invited to give a talk on journalism at a Jewish community centre in north Leeds. The thing that forcibly struck me when I arrived at the venue was the intense level of security in a seemingly peaceful suburb.
The front door was locked and only clicked open after I had been observed by a CCTV camera. I pushed it open but after a few paces was faced with another locked door, and the first door clicked shut and locked behind me. I was in a kind of air lock - I couldn’t go forward and I couldn’t go backwards. I was asked my name and what my business was, and only after the security guard was satisfied that I meant no harm, was the second door unlocked for me to enter.
In contrast, Israel, for all the faults of its various governments, goes out of its way to avoid civilian casualties, going so far as giving warnings to Palestinians living near Hamas military facilities before it strikes. Here’s a little thought experiment. Could you imagine Israeli soldiers abducting a Palestinian girl, raping and murdering her, and parading her corpse around the streets of Tel Aviv? No, of course not. It wouldn’t happen in a billion years.
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