Jennifer Lipman’s ment piece

(Oct 14) struck an immediate chord with me as, in 2016 Britain, the vital “middleground” feels increasingly squeezed out by hardliners on all sides.

And like Ms Lipman, I often find this particularly evident in the Israel/Palestinian debate, or rather, lack of debate; if we attempt to criticise the Israeli government we are shot down as being at best, suspiciously disloyal, and at worst, that crazy epithet of a “self-hating Jew”.

Whatever happened to debate, discussion, questioning, argument; those wonderful Jewish traits that have given to the world our academics, scientists, philosophers, writers and artists?

When the very mention of the Palestinian question within Jewish circles instantly stops open and honest debate, how can we ever hope to appear as anything other than an inward-looking and defensive tribe to others? Caroline Boobis

I would like to solve Jennifer Lipman’s problem in trying to find a party for those with centre-left political aspirations but not tainted by antisemitism.

The party I recommend is the SNP, which has in recent years strongly supported the Scottish Jewish Community and Holocaust education. It would be naive to say that it has not supported the Palestinian cause but its manifesto is in support of the “Two State Solution”.

At last week’s Conference, a stall was run by members who, although strong Israel supporters, wish to engage with those who support the Palestinians to achieve statehood and move towards peaceful coexistence. The stall was extremely successful and now meetings are being arranged to establish a group to be recognised by the Party.

However, to support the Party she would have to move to Scotland. Apart from the weather, I would recommend Glasgow. Here, she will find a community with friendly interaction between the different strands of Judaism, affordable housing, and good access to museums, theatres, shopping and the great outdoors.

She will also find a state-run Jewish primary school. Frank Angell Glasgow G76

I don’t know where Jennifer Lipman gets her assertion that in Israel “you are either

or but rarely in between”; certainly not from the facts.

According to the Israel Democracy Institute’s most recent academic study, 32 per cent of Israeli Jews self-define as “traditional”, similar to the proportion defining as “Chiloni” and more than those defined as “Dati”.

Perhaps Ms Lipman would feel more at home there.