• WE were dismayed to learn of the expulsion of Professor Moshé Machover from the Labour Party following anonymous accusations of anti-Semitism.

Professor Machover is a constituent of Tulip Siddiq. He addressed our AGM in Camden a couple of years ago and gave us his analysis of the situation in the Middle East, based on his experience as a Jewish Israeli who came to embrace Marxism in the 1950s.

One does not need to be a Jew, an Israeli or a Marxist to be impressed by the sharpness of his thought. Professor Machover has always embraced intellectual disagreements and debate. We always found his attitude one of respect towards people with different views.

Sadly that openness to different opinions seems to be under threat in north London where unwarranted accusations of anti-Semitism are increasingly being made to attack those who oppose the settler-colonial policies of the Israeli state.

The Kentish Town Community Centre a few months ago refused to allow its space to be used by the Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association for an event where one of the speakers was accused (without evidence) of holding anti-Semitic views.

Camden Council has officially adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism that fails to distinguish clearly between anti-Semitism and criticism of the Israeli state.

Anti-Semitism does sadly exist and needs to be fought. But it is not the same as being opposed to the Israeli state or rejecting the IHRA claim that asserting that “the existence of the state of Israel is a racist endeavour” is anti-Semitic.

Israeli authorities and their supporters are losing the argument: ordinary British people are increasingly realising that the state of Israel is using violence to enforce a system of ethnic privilege of Jews over non-Jews (the Palestinians).

Israel is now trying to silence all those voices, like Professor Machover’s, who highlight and analyse the violations of Palestinian human rights.

SABBY SAGALL
Chair, Camden Palestine Solidarity Campaign
JANET GREEN
Treasurer Camden PSC