By Israel Police, CC BY-SA 3.0,

The last few weeks saw tensions in Jerusalem around Al-Aqsa/Temple Mount and in relation to the evictions in Sheikh Jarrah boil over, triggering a war with Gaza, and intercommunal violence in mixed cities across Israel. The worst seen in almost a decade. 

Thousands of rockets were fired from Gazan militants towards Israeli cities, forcing tens of thousands to seek protection in bomb shelters and relying on the precision of the Iron Dome. For the residents of the south, whose proximity to the Gaza border elevates the threat level, the relentless barrage comes with greater potential for damage, trauma and sustained panic. For their Palestinian neighbours, living just kilometres away on the other side of the border in Gaza, the intensity of the Israeli airstrikes for most was unspeakable. It left a trail of perpetual despair and infrastructural devastation that needs urgent humanitarian attention.

While the asymmetry in power dynamics and respective military capabilities of both sides is well-known, the Israeli and Palestinian publics continue to be the collateral damage. They pay in loss of life, in ruin of livelihood and lasting psychological damage. Hopelessness for the future and pessimism for tomorrow is the predominant sentiment.

After years of arguable ‘quiet’, the latest escalation was a sharp and painful reminder to the Israeli public that the conflict cannot be ignored or side lined, that the status quo is unsustainable and that its continuation cannot be divorced from the internal situation either. There is no real normality here. Living between periodic confrontations, constantly on the cusp of a violent escalation and with inherent uncertainty is like living with a chronic case of unaddressed anxiety.

The stability of the status quo is just an illusion. A negotiated political solution, resting on territorial compromises and allowing both sides to realise self-determination is the only path. There is no other viable option that fulfils the long-term goals and aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians: to live in lasting peace, dignity and equality.

The 2019 Team are shown here. It included members who have run in support of our work right from the start.

You can sponsor our Team at JustGiving. Thanks.

The Run takes in some of the most iconic landmarks in London including the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square and St. James’s Palace, and follows the route below.

This is a group of British Muslims who believe it is the duty of everyone to challenge antisemitism in all its guises.

Muslims Against Antisemitism was founded by Children of Peace Friend Fiyaz Mughal OBE. Fiyaz served as a trustee of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust for six years and was also the director of Faith Matters (2005-2020).

Elizabeth Arif-Fear is also a Friend of Children of Peace and serves as a Trustee of Muslims Against Antisemitism. She is Founder and Director of the human rights and interfaith organisation Voice of Salam.

The organisation believes that the rise in antisemitism is a stain on the shared humanity of Jews and Muslims, particularly as Jews and Muslims have so much in common.

They say…

“It is our duty as British Muslims to speak out against hatred towards our Jewish Brothers and sisters, no less than anti-Muslim hatred. When one community in the UK is under threat, it threatens all of us who want to live in a country free of hate. Their fears are our fears, their safety our safety and their tears our tears.

We are aware that the monster of antisemitism, the world’s oldest hatred, resurfaces at times of crisis, political upheavals and the rise of populist leaders who have a history of scapegoating Jews.

We are particularly concerned about the growth in antisemitism in part caused by social media where social media trolls will frequently target Jews for abuse. We also see the growth of anti-Muslim Hatred and other forms of hate. We will always speak out against all forms of hatred online.

We also realise that sadly physical abuse against Jews as well as Muslims has risen in recent years. Indeed, statistics from the Community Security Trust (CST), who record antisemitic incidents in the UK, showed that between January and June 2019 there 892 antisemitic incidents, the highest ever recorded number of antisemitic incidents CST has ever recorded in this 6 month period.

It is our duty as British Muslims to speak out against hatred towards our Jewish brothers and sisters, no less than anti-Muslim hatred. When one community in the UK is under threat, it threatens all of us who want to live in a country free of hate.

Their fears are our fears, their safety our safety and their tears our tears.

Muslims Against Antisemitism regularly run talks and lectures with faith communities, in particular the Muslim community, on helping to tackle antisemitism. Muslims Against Antisemitism also develop, implement and manage innovative social change projects in order to bridge any divides between both the Jewish and Muslim communities in the UK and internationally.”

For more information, please go to: muslimsagainstantisemitism.org

Photo credit: Rafael Nir, Unsplash

Naftali Bennett replaces Netanyahu as Prime Minister

On 13 June Benjamin Netanyahu’s record-breaking term in office came to an end when the new coalition government was approved by the Knesset. The margin couldn’t have been narrower, with 60 votes in favour, 59 against, and one abstention. The office of Prime Minister will rotate between the coalition’s two leading players. Naftali Bennett is a hardliner who believes Israel should annex much of the West Bank, and centrist Yesh Atid’s leader Yair Lapid. Both men were thus sworn in, as the 13th and 14th Prime Ministers of Israel respectively.

While the coalition’s success was still uncertain, Netanyahu seemed to be taking a leaf from Trump’s playbook in his efforts to cling on to power. Negotiations to form a new government following the latest round of elections were fraught and complex. In total eight parties make up the so called ‘change bloc’. These include an Arab Israeli party as well as two parties of the left, Meretz and Labor, whose policies are poles apart from the right wing Bennett.

Netanyahu was accused of incitement through his encouragement of protests against the proposed new government. He warned that the coalition might be pressured by President Joe Biden to take a soft line on Iran, and implied that the Arab Israeli Ra’am party supports terrorism. Nadav Argaman, the head of security agency Shin Bet, cautioned people to avoid extreme and divisive rhetoric which may lead to divisive action.

But many seemed to pay little heed to this warning. Right-wing protesters marched in Jerusalem on 15 June, bearing placards condemning Bennett as a ‘traitor’, as well as racist slogans such as ‘Death to Arabs’. Meanwhile Bennett has been aiming to shore up his position by purging his Yamina faction of MKs who didn’t support the coalition.

By OneArmedMan, Wikipedia

Aid for Gaza as it rebuilds after the conflict

Gaza was devastated by the recent conflict which saw Israeli air strikes target Hamas’ infrastructure and weaponry. Many homes and other civilian buildings were collateral damage.

President Joe Biden is one of many world leaders anxious to help Gaza rebuild and offer humanitarian assistance. His concern for Palestinians represents a marked shift in tone from Trump’s presidency. However the US maintains extremely close ties with Israel and Biden has also pledged to help renew its Iron Dome.

Egypt, which played a key role in brokering the recent ceasefire, is one of the countries which has moved to help Gaza’s reconstruction efforts. It has sent bulldozers and other equipment, as well as engineers, to its neighbour in order to help start this process.

The region’s political complexity is reflected in the fact that Egypt also tightly controls the Rafah crossing, the only Gazan border crossing not under Israel’s jurisdiction.

Qatar has also sought to send significant financial aid to Gaza. However this has been held up by Israel, leading Hamas to threaten a renewal of violence if it is not released.

By Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikipedia

Gal Gadot’s tweet on conflict sparks controversy

A recent tweet from Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot prompted a storm of abuse on social media. Her message could be seen as pretty measured, expressing empathy for all caught up on the conflict:

“Israel deserves to live as a free and safe nation, Our neighbours deserve the same. I pray for the victims and their families, I pray for this unimaginable hostility to end, I pray for our leaders to find the solution so we could live side by side in peace. I pray for better days.”

Supporters of the Palestinian cause took issue with her stance, accusing her of spouting Israeli propaganda, even supporting genocide, and pointing to her service in the Israeli military. However in the past Gadot has also criticised Netanyahu’s government. In 2019 she attacked the Israeli Prime Minister’s unwillingness to describe Israel as a state of all its citizens, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ was her response.

In May Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary, Lisa Nandy, also came under fire when she responded to the conflict. Although she emphasised the suffering of those in Gaza, she went on to condemn those on both sides who put civilian lives in danger, and urged both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to seek de-escalation as a matter of urgency. Although she has served as Chair of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East, Nandy was condemned by some supporters of the Palestinian cause, such as the Electronic Intifada’s Asa Winstanley, for being too even-handed in what they see as an asymmetrical conflict.

Jerusalem Pride

On 3 July the annual Pride Parade took place in Jerusalem under heavy security. 7,500 people marched to demonstrate their support for LGBT rights. Despite Israel’s liberal laws there is significant opposition to LGBT equality, and the event began with a prayer to commemorate a 16 year old girl who was stabbed to death at the 2015 Pride Parade. The killer was an ultra-Orthodox extremist.

Although no violence marred the 2021 march, the far right anti-gay Lehava group mounted a small protest. (Lehava is probably best known for its zealous opposition to marriages between Jews and non-Jews.) There are also concerns about a growing number of anti-LGBT Members of Knesset, both Islamists and some religious Zionists.

However Israel now has a record three cabinet ministers who identify as LGBT, the most recent addition is Blue and White chairman Eitan Ginzburg.

Picture below from Unsplash