Peter Oborne and Irfan Chowdhury open letter

An open response to Peter Oborne and Irfan Chowdhury

This is an open response to an email I received from Peter Oborne and Irfan Chowdhury challenging my comments on famine in Gaza. I have published their email here. Dear Irfan Chowdhury and Peter Oborne Thank you for your email. As is my usual method, I choose to reply by way of a public response. This way, both your questions and my answers are published … Continue reading An open response to Peter Oborne and Irfan Chowdhury

The long Black Hand of October 7

Yesterday we saw horrific images being streamed from Gaza once more, as Hamas conducted another hostage release circus. Some will try to deceive you into believing that the creation of Hamas – and its actions – are somehow the fault of Israeli behaviour. A trip back to 1931 and a group called the Black Hand will show you otherwise. ‘This did not start on October … Continue reading The long Black Hand of October 7

Southern Israel – my journey into hell

On a material level the attacked Israeli communities will rebuild. At some point the houses will be put back together, the streets will be repaired, and apart from an inevitable memorial on site – the external reminders of the October 7 atrocities will be gone. I wanted to digest some of the reality of what took place during the deadly attacks before the rebuilding begins. … Continue reading Southern Israel – my journey into hell

The dangerous lies of our media

Another week, another mass demonstration in London calling for the destruction of Israel. If you disagree with that statement and believe that these are peaceful marches by people who only want a ‘ceasefire’ – then this article is for you. I attended this one, as I have since they started three weeks ago. I turn up, I hear the chants, I take videos, I post … Continue reading The dangerous lies of our media

Palestinian flag - Islamist hate

A point or ten about the Palestinian flag

I recently spent a night in Belgium doing some research. As soon as I came out of the Brussels Midi Eurostar station I was confronted with a huge image of the Palestinian flag that had been graffitied onto one of the station walls. I took a photo of the flag – and posted it in a tweet – noting my discomfort. That simple statement of … Continue reading A point or ten about the Palestinian flag

Twitter history lesson map

The colourful Twitter history of Palestine

Social media sites such as Twitter portray a wonderful history of a state called Palestine – but first let us quickly remember the truth. The historical facts: For the Islamic world, the area of 19th century Southern Syria was a sparsely populated forgotten backwater with rival clans and nomadic tribes presenting a hazardous obstacle for every trip. The weakening of the occupying power (the Ottoman … Continue reading The colourful Twitter history of Palestine

Seeds for Development and Culture

Sowing the seeds of support for terrorists

Why do those who support and celebrate the murder of Jews always have a queue of people who want to give them money and shake their hands? The Seeds for Development and Culture ‘Seeds for Development and Culture’ (SFDC) is an NGO operating out of Nablus. The Facebook page suggests it has been around since 2012. They claim that SFDC ‘aims to create a positive … Continue reading Sowing the seeds of support for terrorists

Avi Shlaim conspiracy theory

Three Worlds by Avi Shlaim – a proper review

It was surprising to see a book based on an antisemitic conspiracy theory being given a gushing review by The Spectator. Much less surprising is that ‘Three Worlds: Memoir of an Arab-Jew’, is authored by Avi Shlaim – a Baghdad-born Jew best known for making it his life’s mission to wear his (lucrative) anti-Israel credentials on his sleeve. My response to The Spectator’s review was … Continue reading Three Worlds by Avi Shlaim – a proper review

Nakba Day myths

Things you really need to know on ‘Nakba Day’

Today is Nakba Day. It is a day in which social media is flooded with a tsunami of posts about the Arab losses in the 1948/1949 war. If you read one article today related to Nakba Day – I suggest you read this one. In many left-wing circles, the Palestinian Nakba has reached the level of a religious belief. To question it is seen as … Continue reading Things you really need to know on ‘Nakba Day’

Gaza Strip empty promises

The Gaza Strip – always remember how we got here

For those that are old enough to remember, there was a time when Gazans commuted with ease to work in Israel, and Israelis went shopping in markets in the Gaza Strip. When I first arrived in Israel many of those I worked alongside lived in places such as Beit Lahia or Beit Hanoun (two towns at the northern tip of Gaza). This continued for a … Continue reading The Gaza Strip – always remember how we got here