AS if further examples were needed of double standards which apply to Israel, the recent visit of the Israeli deputy foreign minister to the Oxford Union provided one (Oxford Mail, February 11).

The minister, Danny Ayolon, expressed his indignation to alleged racist remarks made during his visit, saying: “This demonstrates our new policy on hatred and racism and we will have zero tolerance for anti-semitism”.

It’s an interesting comment, particularly if one reads Ilan Pappe’s book The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine in which it says: “In 1976, the highest official in the (Israeli) Ministry of Interior, Israel Koening, called the Palestinians in Galilee “a cancer in the state’s body”, and the Israeli Chief of Staff, Raphael Eitan, openly spoke of them as “cockroaches”.

As we have seen so many times, justice (sometimes summary) is sought for anyone who dares to oppose or criticise Israel (the Simon Wiesenthal Centre is still chasing aged Germans for alleged war-crimes during the 1939-45 war), but Israeli miscreants and war-criminals manage to evade it.

It has been known for some time that with the cynical support of the veto by the United States, Israel seems to enjoy absolute immunity from International Law, UN resolutions and compliance with Human Rights. Thursday’s Oxford Mail report also implies that their vehicles can mow down UK pedestrians with impunity, yet Ricky Whittle – of Strictly Come Dancing fame – is charged for doing the same thing.

I wonder if they have heard of the goose and the gander in Israel.

Gordon Clack Witney Road Ducklington Witney