Friends and Labour
He was arrested and imprisoned in Egypt in 2001 , where he remained until 2006 . In that time, reading books on human rights and the like, he changed his stance and came to renounce his Islamist past .
He has since been an author, columnist and Liberal democratic candidate. Most recently, he has come to be known for his excellent weekend programmes on LBC.
What was so impressive about Mr Nawaz’s criticisms of those who question Israel’s legitimacy, was that his comments came during a heated debate about Hamas. Although he spoke honestly about being an anti-Israel activist in the past, his standpoint is now that of “enough is enough “as regards talk of Israel’s right to exist. Most hard-hitting was his attack upon endless, disproportionate singling out of Israel, comparing other “colonial projects”, such as those giving rise to Australia and America — and pointing out how those, by way of example, are never questioned. On the other hand, as Mr Nawaz highlighted so vividly , focus upon the very existence of the state of Israel constantly serves to distract from concentration upon “very real genocidal problems”, such as those in Syria and Iraq — and in relation to Isis .
Mr Nawaz’s broadcast clearly and profoundly underlined the unfair, impartial and uninformed way the media target Israel negatively all the time. He is to be thanked for his courage and tenacity in openly promoting the fact that Israel is the only secular, democratic country in the Middle East .
His knowledge and experience on relevant issues is extraordinary. His comments were honest, incisive and passionate. He is to be listened to, not least because he is correct . Jeremy Dein QC,
London WC1
Over the past few months, I have frequently asked my friends who are Labour sympathisers how they can reconcile their backing for the party, when it is under the leadership of a man with the views, and the “friends”, of Mr Corbyn.
With the announcement of a General Election, the moment of truth has arrived. Whatever the merits of any local Labour candidate, a vote to put Mr Corbyn into Number Ten is incompatible with any desire for a free, flourishing and sustainable Jewish community in the UK. David Wolfson QC,
London EC4
With a seven-week notice period for the election, I hardly think that the adjective “snap” is correct.
Martin Levin
London E4 The seeks to correct errors quickly. Contact details are on P2.
On last week’s Obituaries page, we printed the wrong date of birth for Deborah Lynn Steinberg. She was actually born on October 7, 1961.
We also said that Rena Behrman attended the first World Zionist Congress in Basel in 1931. This was actually her first World Zionist Congress. The first one ever was in 1897.