Israel, we want to help – but you need to listen

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

‘The tragedy and injustice of this tragedy must surely rest with Hamas’ (AFP/Getty)

We heard you in 1917 when we issued the Balfour Declaration, promising a home for the Jewish nation.

We heard you again in the aftermath of the Second World War, supporting with compassion, but under some duress, the creation of the Israeli state. We stood by you, despite reservations. We admired your zeal in the relentless pursuit of the perpetrators of the Holocaust.

In the 1960s, we gave tacit support to wars with neighbouring Arab nations. We allowed the displacement of the Palestinian nation for the greater good, never considering you would still occupy territory you seized some 60 years later.