• I AM pleased to see that it is finally recognised that there is no real comparison between the apartheid regime in South Africa and the Israeli state, (The state of Israel and the crime of apartheid, January 12).

The letter makes clear that the International Criminal Court “definition of apartheid was inspired by the South African experience, it does not require comparison with apartheid South Africa”.

Anyone who lived under and resisted apartheid, as I did, will know that this is the case. David Stebbing was right (This is not apartheid, Letters, December 29) to argue that the promotion of Arabs to prominent positions in the Israeli judiciary, government and army shows how inaccurate the label is.

We need to back the tens of thousands of Israelis who are now regularly protesting on the streets, attempting to halt the vicious policies of the most right-wing government Israel has ever known.

The LGBTQ community is under direct threat, as are Israeli Arabs and Palestinian communities. They – and others – deserve our support.

The “apartheid” label is not just an inaccurate irrelevance. It is a distraction from our opposition to the Benjamin Netanyahu government.

MARTIN PLAUT, NW5