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Irish Comments on Israel Leave Scottish Jews Terrified as Identity Comes Under Attack

(Scottish Daily Express-UK) Sammy Stein - Israel is completely justified in its decision to close its Embassy in Dublin. It seems to me that repeated Irish governments have a fundamental prejudice against Israel. Moreover, the Scottish Government is refusing to talk to Israel. The Scottish government has come under considerable criticism for their anti-Israel actions, including from the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities and from Colin Cowan, whose brother Bernard was brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists in the Oct. 7 attacks. All this fills me with an immense sense of sadness and worry of what the Scottish-Israeli relationship would look like in a would-be independent Scotland. Israel plays a key role in one's Jewish identity, as the overwhelming majority of Scotland's Jews identity as Zionist - believing in the right of the Jewish people to self-determination, just like any other people. That means that when Israel is unfairly treated or attacked, it is acutely felt by Scottish Jews. Therefore, when the Scottish Government has a blanket policy on refusing to meet with the representatives of a democratic country like Israel, which is also a key ally of the UK, while meeting with representatives of authoritarian regimes such as Turkey or dictatorial China, it is indicative of a glaring double standard. The writer is chairman of the Glasgow Friends of Israel.
2024-12-31 00:00:00
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