The one-sided attitude of our Government towards the Middle East is an utter disgrace
IT sometimes astonishes me the rubbish that politicians spout and expect us to believe. Our unelected Foreign Secretary counsels Iran not to escalate tensions in the Middle East (“Cameron urges Israel to be ‘smart’ by not escalating tensions with Iran”, heraldscotland, April 15) when the UK Government itself was a partner in the deliberate escalation of violence in the area when along with the USA Britain invaded Iraq to protect the petrodollar in a conflict that cost the US public almost $1 trillion and the lives of a quarter of a million innocent Iraqi citizens. A war that has resulted in US armed forces remaining in Iraq and parts of Syria where they are facilitating the exploiting oil reserves they have no rights to.
He also ignores the fact that 100 years ago Palestine existed and Israel didn’t, yet since then, by force of arms, all of what was then considered Palestine has been taken and occupied by Israel which is dominated by a Zionist movement whose unequivocal stated aim is to continue expanding the frontiers of Israel both to the east and west. Lord Cameron ignores the genocide being perpetrated in Gaza and the murder and imprisonment of Palestinians in the West Bank yet tacitly condones the de facto reality that Israel feels entitled to murder people in adjacent countries and bomb foreign lands yet expects no retaliation from the victims or condemnation by the western establishment.
The one-sided attitude of our Government was highlighted by the fact that we have troops and planes stationed in the area that intercepted weapons aimed at “Iron Dome”-protected Israel and ships in the Red Sea, yet they did nothing to intercept anything fired at Gaza but continue to supply the aggressor with arms to complete the job.
It’s an absolute disgrace. That anyone would label Iran, which over the years has had its own share of Cia-led coups, as the aggressor is an affront to one’s intelligence.
David J Crawford, Glasgow.
I READ with interest the three letters (April 16) on the Iran-israel situation. Meanwhile UK Government ministers and generals have been suggesting that we need to prepare for war and conscript young people into the military. Hypocritically, our governments obviously think that British people are soft due to the hate crime legislation they have enacted to protect people from hurt feelings. What I can guarantee is that the children of people like Boris Johnson and Tony Blair will not be forced into any front line.
How are military stocks doing? Share prices in BAE Systems have risen 34% and General Dynamics 31% since October 7.
Rich man’s war, poor man’s fight.
Geoff Moore, Alness.
I CANNOT understand why Westminster is so determined to become involved in hostilities between Israel and Iran. Israel is neither an ally nor a friend; its treatment of Palestinians is the cause of most tension in the Middle East and it has given
Iran ample reason to retaliate, most recently by destroying Iran’s consulate in Damascus and those within it. Meanwhile we demonise Iran which would present no threat to us if we did not seize any possible excuse to alienate its rulers and its people. In this, we present ourselves as no more than the lapdogs of the United States.
Meanwhile, the Israelis carry on killing children in Gaza and the West’s attention moves away from the war which does deserve our concern and full commitment, namely Ukraine’s resistance to Putin’s attack. James Scott, Edinburgh.