As silly seasons go, this August has been pretty rubbish, I have to say. Iraq heads the list of gloomy subjects, obviously, as 100,000 Christians and many more Yazidis flee from the genocidal maniacs of the Islamic State. And before anyone asks, yes I do support intervention there: this is not like other conflicts in the region, between two heavily-armed militias both hostile to the West, as in Syria; it is an unprovoked attacked by our enemies against defenceless civilians simply because of their religion, the very thing the post-1945 order was supposed to prevent.
Gaza is also deeply depressing; obviously it’s existential to the people of Israel and Palestine, but the events the conflict has triggered off in Britain and across Europe make my heart sink. The anti-Semitism on display makes me ashamed of my country — the physical attacks of Jews, the intimidating protests in Manchester, the politicians and campaigners who talk of making Scotland ‘Zionist-free’ or Bradford ‘Israeli-free’.
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