# 464 – Gay or Not

Gay or Not

Oh, I could have given this letter the most disgusting title, and it would not have come near to describing the behaviour of Hamas. 1 day delay…. After singing ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Mis, we now sing ‘One More Day’ from the same show. This is horror. Israel is absolutely traumatized by this.

So no, I try to avoid the subject. I got in a game of tennis today. (Please, PLEASE do not question this, unless you want me to crash my head against the nearest wall). I played well, despite the limp. I had arrived very late for the game – or so I thought. But I was 1 hour wrong, and suddenly had time for a coffee and a chat. Barak, such a decent guy – and a very good player – asked who I thought was Israel’s best spokesman on social media etc. ‘Douglas Murray’ I replied, without hesitation. ‘Oh, you know him…’ said Barak. ‘Do I know him. He should be the next PM – of UK and Israel!’

I spoke this evening with a very good lady friend (of ours) in London. ‘Douglas Murray..’ she exclaimed, ‘Gay or not, he’s my man!’ Great comment.

‘Far Right’ – Interesting…Another character I greatly admire on the Net is Jordan Peterson. Also a rare example of education mixed with intelligence and clarity. He was recently asked his opinion of Douglas Murray, whom he knows very well. They have shared many platforms. He started by stating that Douglas is ‘rather far to the right, but…’.

Then he spewed only compliments on the intellectual brilliance of the man. My ear cocked when I heard, once again, that phrase ‘far right’.

For many obvious reasons, it was a no-no. It immediately implied racism, anti-immigration etc, etc.. Since Nazi times, the broad majority clamped down on the Far Right. But….In many countries, it’s raising its head again, and it’s no longer so frowned upon.

I am no international political expert, but seeing Geerd Wilders actually voted into power yesterday in Holland says so much. 10-15 years ago, he was hated for his rhetoric. Perhaps still is, but not any more by a majority.

And in the UK, it’s an odds-on bet that Nigel Farage will be back on the political stage.

I don’t have to say why, do I? (I may say ‘I told you so’, but I am NOT happy about it).

Defense – It is interesting that Israel, so vilified as an aggressive country, is actually the leader in defending itself. Were it not for the Iron Dome – and of course the automatic and widespread provision of shelters – we would be hitting the headlines for far different reasons. Around 10,000 missiles have been launched at Israel from Gaza – plus a quantity from Hezbollah in the North.

Practically all of these have been random-fired; few specific targets. It is said that 25% of them have fallen inside Gazan territory, having devastating results, including the horror in the car park of the Al Shifa hospital. (There were also not ‘over 500’ deaths as originally claimed – and still claimed by Al Jazeera. And countless TV footage in recent days show Al Shifa to be 120% functioning).

The Iron Dome missile is only used when an incoming missile is threatening a residential area. It makes few mistakes, and Israel’s population has been unbelievably protected. But, estimating that perhaps 4,000 missiles have been intercepted, at a cost of $50,000 each time, that’s a lot of money.

That’s why the development of the Iron Beam system is being rushed ahead – due to be functioning within a year. Each laser beam will only cost $3-4,000, and will be so effective, that warning sirens are expected to be silenced.

Debris from the destroyed missiles has proven to be a minimal problem. Some injuries, some damage, no deaths.

But we have no defense against physical and mental cruelty. No Iron Dome can protect us from what is going on.

I have practically screamed in so many letters over the years to grant Israel (and, almost by default, the Middle East), a generation or two of peace. A time to reap fully the benefits of all the wonderful advances this country has made over the 75 years of its existence. (Those of you who have been here will know exactly what I mean). It’s a bit like the list of Nobel Prize Laureates.

Incredibly many Jews – disproportionate – a great time to use that badly misused word. Imagine how many there would have been without the Holocaust. Imagine, for instance, where we would be had we signed the Abraham Accords 10-15 years ago – including Saudi. We might actually have persuaded Iran to be nice….and join the moderate Middle East Alliance).

Stephen