On this  grey day in Brighton and Hove, may I wish you Shabbat Greetings.

I realise that often what I write in this Newsletter can sound opinionated, but though that is true, I welcome opinions from others who may differ.

Similarly, if there are people who do not wish to receive this, just let me know and I will take you off the list.

It is not often that I am glad that Labour has won a seat in Parliament, but I welcome the defeat of Zap Polanski. I feel, to use what are topical descriptions, that he is a Traitor to the Jewish people as are any Greens who do not resign from the party. 

Brighton used to have as its MP Caroline Lucas. She is a Green based on principles I can accept. She voted against the "Zionist motion" at the Green Party Conference. I can't believe that it would not be preferable for those who are not anti-Semitic, to form a new group and call it the Ecology Party or something else which reflects their true Green opinions.

However I am now turning to Israel. As a Jew, I was brought up with Israel being the saviour nation for us all so that the Holocaust could not re-emerge. Israel has become a state full of very impressive people who have contributed so many things to the world since 1948.

After the terrible things done on October 7th, I totally understand that Israel took that as a declaration of war, and so Israel attacked Gaza. Over the next weeks and months if Hamas had ever tried to make peace, and return the hostages, I believe that Israel would have listened and indeed an agreement was signed between the parties, supported by other countries.If that agreement had been maintained the damage to Gaza would have stopped - but Hamas did not disarm, and so Israel kept up the pressure.

That pressure was reflected in the deaths of so many people. People who never had the chance to tell their government to stop. This is terrible but it is the right of Israel to defend itself.But, Israel has made several mistakes, mostly in their Public Relations. They refused to allow journalists in, to report on Gaza, which means that the only reports which came out were from reporters seeing only the Gaza side of the discussion. They reported on the figures given to them by the Gaza authorities, some of which were definitely exaggerated.

It is without doubt a good thing that Hezbollah was smashed, again with the loss of innocent lives in Lebanon.But these days one hears about problems in Judea and Samaria where Israeli settlers are taking the offensive against their Palestinian neighbours. Again there is little independent reporting, so someone like me who gets his news from the television or websites, but not in any authoritative way, is left mostly in the dark. This opens the door for the Pro-Palestinians to take their cause further and the way it is looking, it seems that, and I hate to think this, Israel may be in the wrong!

The current government in Israel is not commanded by Bibi, but by people like Smotrich and Ben Gvir and they are causing as much harm to the state of Israel as any Arab war has done. Till now the Western world has supported Israel.

Now we hear countries like Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and Canada talking in Anti-Israel terms, and even UK is following suit led by our wonderful Jewish foreign secretary.

In these weeks before the Israel general election, I beg of the government to let journalists in to the West Bank, so that the true story can be told. Reports of "Settlements" do not tell me anything. What are these settlements?  How many people are involved? Is there another side to the story which is not being reported?

Please Israel be realistic and start acting like a properly run nation in 2026. I do not know whether or what the scale of crimes which are being committed by our brethren in Israel; but if Israel does not come clean, it just adds fuel to the Anti-Zionists around the world, and this only creates problems for the Jews in the Diaspora.

If you are reading this, have friends and relatives in Israel, please get them to see the points I am making so that this government is replaced, and particularly the Hard Right loses their influence.

I am sorry this is so depressing, but it is how I feel.

Best wishes

Nick . 

Carolyne Davis is in News from Israel which comes under the heading of Jewish Life and Israel.

Barbra Paskin's Letter from Hollywood is first under the Entertainment section. Celebrities are the next one.

Rachelle's Recipes are in the same section.

Jack Kaye's Albion Gazettes are under Sport.

This week's Parsha , comes under the heading of Religious Community.