Decency v bigotry

I have been absolutely overwhelmed by messages pouring in following my column in the Daily Mail today on the Gaza crisis. From these messages I have learned the following:

There is a large groundswell of support for Israel and detestation of Hamas; this is evident among people who are neither Jews nor evangelical Christians (who are usually pro-Israel) and have had no particular view about the Middle East one way or another... [snip]

There is a large groundswell of fury at the BBC in particular but also the print media for what people perceive to be morally bankrupt reporting, with gross prejudice against Israel and the ruthless delivery of Hamas propaganda...[snip]

There is huge ignorance about the most basic and fundamental facts about Israel and the Middle East impasse, and considerable anger that the media has either misled people about it all or left them in ignorance...[snip]

There is an unshakeable and utterly lethal belief in an entirely false view of Middle East history, fed not just by Arab and Muslim propaganda but also by Israel-hating Israeli academics resulting in spitting hatred of Israel which is represented in demonic terms. The historic resonance is unmistakeable -- and chilling.[snip]

The bad news, as this shows, is that Britain’s bigots are burgeoning – and have the media and intelligentsia in their pocket. The good news is that decency here has not yet died; indeed, among the ordinary people of this country, I get the feeling that that the penny is finally starting to drop...

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