WITH all the dreadful loss of life in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq and now Palestine, it is difficult to know where to start. But the injustice, stupidity and illegality of Israeli attacks on Gaza spurs me to write.

Oxford Mail:

Smoke and fire from the explosion of an Israeli strike rise over Gaza City, Gaza Strip, on Tuesday

Every shell that destroys a house or a family in the Gaza Strip is a recruiting sergeant for the next generation of Hamas fighters. The awful irony is that the collective punishment of Palestinian civilians is just the kind of terror used by Nazi Germany during the Second World War, which led to the murder of millions of Jews.

It is the Israelis this time who are the aggressors; illegally building settlements on Palestinian lands, cruelly blockading Gaza and refusing to negotiate a two-state solution with the Palestinians. It is surely time the United States stopped its financial backing for Israel and Britain and the rest of Europe refused to trade with Israel.

Our political leaders will still need to tackle the horrors elsewhere in the Middle East and in Ukraine. But bringing peace and prosperity to Palestine/Israel would be an enormous step forward for both Palestinians and Israelis.

JOHN TANNER (Labour Cllr)

City Councillor for Littlemore & County Councillor for Isis

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