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Deal with real issues

In the Advertiser’s report of the Jeremy Corbyn visit to Swindon we read about his attendance at a celebration by a Jewish group of a Jewish festival.

What is interesting is what this shows about the current attack on Corbyn. Corbyn is mixing now, we are told, with the wrong type of Jew. What makes them the wrong type of Jew is their refusal to remain silent at the crimes of the state of Israel.

Zionism, the political support for the state of Israel, has never spoken for all Jews and anti-Zionist Jews have a proud history of supporting justice for Palestinians, who were forcefully driven from their homes to make way for the foundation of a mostly European colonial settler state.

The current furore, which now may have over-stretched itself in shear ridiculousness, is an attempt to push back the questioning of that colonial settler state, which only last weak massacred 14 Palestinians attending a peaceful demonstration against the theft of their land. It is an attempt to bury the history.

One of the extreme right-wing Zionist anti Corbyn demonstrators the other week in Westminster - we saw him ludicrously chanting Corbyn is a racist - was wearing a T-shirt with the face of Menahem Begin, the Zionist terrorist who was recognised as a fascist by Einstein and other prominent Jews in 1948 in a letter to the New York Times.

The furore is also an attempt by right wing Labour MPs, in collusion with the Tory media, to exploit Corbyn’s belief that the Labour Party is a broad church, which must tolerate even those indistinguishable from Tories, by telling outrageous lies in the confident knowledge that their position within the party is secure.

And all the time those orchestrating the fabricated anti-Semitism scare do nothing about real anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and racism in Europe and the UK.

Peter Smith, Woodside Avenue, Swindon

Don’t be deceived

It’s desperately sad to see the violence breaking out on Israel’s border with Gaza.

People watching on TV, however, should be in no doubt that the responsibility for that violence lies unequivocally with the terror group Hamas.

In the coming weeks they will be ordering men, women and children to participate in reckless behaviour designed to provoke violence with the Israeli authorities.

And while children are encouraged to throw missiles and climb the border fence, Hamas operatives disguised as civilians will fire at the Israeli army and attempt to plant explosives on the border.

When that violence leads to civilian casualties Hamas will choreograph the international media and their supporters in the UN to criticise Israel.

Every time a media outlet or a politician falls for this deceitful action it is a victory for the terrorists and a defeat for peace.

Israel has no territorial rights in Gaza; they left in 2005, and since 2006 the area has been controlled by Hamas.

Peace will reign in the Middle East only when violence is rejected and negotiations take place.

If readers wish to send the UK government this message, and condemn the Hamas terror group, please join the campaign at www.israelbritain.org.uk/NEWS. The more that do this, the more compelling the campaign will be.

Michael Kemp, Swindon

Cheap but not cheerful

John Stooke (April 7) states his pleasure that British passports will in future be printed in France because the French bid was cheaper than the current British supplier. He believes that taking the lowest bid give the best value for money.

In economics it is exports that create wealth and exports also create jobs for the working class. It is by exporting British goods around the world that wealth is created in Britain.

Imports have the opposite effect. Imports destroy jobs in Britain. In the case of giving the passport printing contract to France, Britain has lost a contract worth £500 million.

By going for the cheaper bid from France, Britain has lost half a billion pounds in foreign currency and also lost thousands of well paid jobs in Britain.

Steve Halden, Beaufort Green, Swindon