What really bemuses me is that the Hamas apologists, sorry, I mean Palestinian supporters, don't seem to acknowledge that the main reason for Hamas committing such appalling atrocities upon Israelis on 7th October was that they desperately and fervently wanted the Israeli government to launch a major counterattack against Hamas, and thus Palestine. Hamas doesn't just not care about the Palestinian people, its leaders deliberately and calculatedly did everything in their power to put them in harm's way. At least the Israeli government wants to protect its own people.
I cannot endorse Israel's actions. Because whilst numbers of dead are disputed, it is clear that the Palestinian dead include young children who cannot be a threat. But I can understand why a nation basically populated by the survivors of pogroms and holocaust is going to react violently to over a thousand civilians being murdered so viciously that even the number of dead remains unclear, with people who were burned alive left fused together (yes, I viewed the highly disturbing pathology information linked to higher up and to my medical eye it looked sickeningly real). It just adds to the tragedy that the actions Israel are taking, some of which I suspect are war crimes (you can choose whether to call Hamas's actions a war crime or a terrorist atrocity, or both), are playing precisely into Hamas's hands, by creating a fertile breeding ground for support from suspect regimes, and for the recruitment of the next generation.
And yes, some of the pro Palestinian rallies have been chilling. Before Israel mounted it's response, there were pro Palestinian rallies literally celebrating the massacre of Jewish civilians. In marches, there have been chants and flags celebrating Hamas, demanding the obliteration of Israel, and threatening Jewish people. It isn't everyone on those demonstrations, some are innocently trying to promote the safety of Palestinian civilians. But it is enough to explain the fear felt by Jewish people in this, and other, countries.
And the knock on effect felt by Jews the world over is yet an other negative knock on effect, as ripples spread outwards. And it is an effect that Hamas may or may not have predicted, but would definitely celebrate.
I want both sides (okay, everyone in the world would be better!) to be able to live in peace and safety. I want children to be safe in their beds. And in their schools. I want access to education, and healthcare, and all the essentials of life. I want everyone to recognise the basic humanity of others. And I want Jewish people in the UK to be able to learn, and work, and relax, and socialise, and worship, without anyone blaming them for the actions of a foreign government over which they have no control.
(Conflict of Interest: Christian)