Two Reactions

In Britain, rampant anti-Americanism and hatred of Israel prevent many from understanding just what is at stake in the Lebanon crisis. But something is nevertheless shifting in Britain. There are now two reactions running simultaneously alongside each other. On the one hand, hatred of Israel — particularly among the educated classes —has reached an unprecedented pitch of hysterical distortion, even by the degraded standards of the past six dismaying years. But on the other hand, a heartening number of citizens who are neither Jews nor evangelical Christians — until now, the only constituencies which have defended Israel against the collective libels and scapegoating— are now saying that they support Israel in this great battle, that they understand very well that it is the front line against an Islamic threat that menaces all of us, and that they are astounded by the savage distortions of the BBC and other media.

Melanie Phillips, on some signs of hope - amidst many signs of its opposite - for a change in British public attitudes towards Israel in the present conflict,and hence a movement towards a clearer understanding of what the conflict is actually about.