Need for clarity term 'Israel'

From Sir John Richmond
Mr Gerard Noel's three
articles on Israel do great credit to his passion for better Judeo-Christian understanding, and the need for European Christians, particularly Catholics, to reexamine the history of Catholic-Jewish relations, and to repudiate many of the attitudes adopted by their forebears.
None of us is entirely free
from prejudice. but Mr Noel does not help his case by his repeated insinuations that those Gentiles who support the Arab case against Israel are not only mistaken about the merits, but are actuated by anti-Semitic feelings conscious or unconscious.
Such a grave accusation should be supported by evidence in individual cases. It should not be applied indiscriminately to a class of people with whom Mr. Noel disagrees. Mr Noel has rightly drawn
attention to the danger of' confusing religion with politics. but his articles seem to me to have completely failed to avoid this danger. The question of whether the return of the Jewish people (or some of them) to Palestine is part of God's plan is a religious one. To Mr Noel the answer to it is clearly a resounding affirmative.
I am not so sure. But even if a
Christ ian accepts the affirmative answer, he surely cannot absolve himself from the duty of examining the historical evidence before accepting the proposition, as Mr Noel appears to do. that Zionists and Israelis have been morally blameless in establishing their State, because they have been carrying out God's plan,
There is. after all, a political
as well as a theological dimension to the problem; and Mr Noel seems to me to confuse the Iwo when he talks of the "moral support which the Catholic Church should for theological reasons extend to Israel". There is an unresolved ambiguity here in the term "Israel." Does he IneUn "the Jewish people"? — or the "State of Israel"?
ir he means' the latter, the
Pope is surely right to hesitate before taking his advice. Luckily for those Catholics who think that the Arabs have a good case. His Holiness has stuck firmls to an even-handed position, and I have been unable to discern the greater warmth which Mr Noel affects to observe in the Pope's message to Israel about Ma'alot. contrasting with his pronouncements about the victims of Israeli reprisals.
Surely the Pope is right to he
even-handed on the politicomilitary issues. This is the way to peace — and whatever we may think of the theological implications of the problem, it must he our Christian duty to do what we can to bring about a. viable peace on the political level. This will not be achieved hy the indiscriminate support
For Israel which Mr Noel appears to advocate. The United States Government, for different reasons. has given this kind of
support to Israel for a number of years. The result has not been peace, and the consequences for the Israeli people have not been uniformly happy. True peace can only be built on forgiveness.
As Christians we need not argue whether Palestinians or Israelis have more to forgive. hut we shall not advance the
cause of peace by pretending, with Mr Noel. that Israelis are the best advocates of the Palestinians' case, and accepting s ithout examination the Israeli version of the history of' Palestine since 1917.
John Richmond 20 The Avenue, Durham City.
Congratulations on the splendid series of articles on Israel by Mr Gerard Noel. The true Christian spirit glowed through his words, which is more than can be said about the letters published in this week's Catholic Herald about Mr Noel's reports.
What is so shocking is the utter ignorance shown by all of these correspondents. One
would have thought that in two cases at least there might have been a passing acquaintance with the Bible.
However, as these people have apparently come late to both religious and geographical history, perhaps it should he pointed out to them that, asscording to the Old and New Testaments and Jewish and Christian tradition, Israel's right to exist was given to the Jews not by Lord Balfour or by. a UNO resolution_ It was given to them by Almighty God more than 4,000 years ago.
It was further promised that the Jewish race would be gathered from the four corners of the earth to their home in the . Holy Land. And just to confirm matters, in the New Testament it is promised that God's will will be accomplished only when the Jewish people are all converted ultimately to the one true Faith.
So what is all this nonsense in the Rev Tony Crowe's letter of July 12 about "Jews seeking refuge in a predominantly Arab land?" Arabs were late-corners on the scene, as anyone who has had the most elementary school education must have learnt in . their history and/or .geography lessons.
Of course, it may be that these correspondents (and I rather hope this is the case, as it will not leave such a bad taste in the mouth) are not Catholics or Christians of any denomination, so their attitudes can be understood if not excused. But if they do consider themselves as being members of the Church, let them regard themselves with objectivity remembering that a Catholic .ss rites once said that antisemites are basically anti. Christian too.
They are writing against a decision of God. They want to annul a contract made between Him and the race from which Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin came. This is very dangerous ground. have they no awe left for what God has ordained? How daring they must be, or how foolish!
It may well be that the real solution to the Middle East problem will come from Christian Arabs and Christian Jews; no doubt both groups are praying and working for this Meanwhile, there is something that must be said: the main reason for the -sadly small number of Jews who are received into the Catholic Church can be laid directly. at the door of such people who wrote last week's letters.
They hear a terrible responsibility, and perhaps one day they will have to answer for it to Christ himself — wearing the yellow star of David.
Ruth Rees
105 Clarence Gate Gardens, London, cn.onn N t r, ar
John Adkins (Ju
ly 12) I agree With Gerard Noel on Israel's right to exist. This right was, as Mr Adkins admits himself, granted by the UNO resolution 181 which was accepted and recognised by Isrates nl. i
on-implementation stems from the fact that on the very date of its coming into force, namely May 15, 1948, the Arab neighbours of the new state of Israel started an armed invasion of the territory allocated to it.
That they got soundly beaten
by the newly-formed Israeli Defence Forces, proves nothing but the unwillingness of the Jews to be driven into the sea. Nobody can blame them for bettering their strategic position durnwgouthidis like to add that the so-called refugees problem was created by this same action of the Arab States who at the moment of the start of their invasion called on all Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to leave at once and to take refuge in their territories.
John L. Kohen 101 Listowel Road, King's Heath, Birmingham.
Correspondents are asked to keep their letters as short as possible. Pressure on these columns is Increasing and many letters have to be discarded e$ery„, week. Shorter letters would give more of our readers a chance of airing their views.—Editor.