Correcting the facts about Zionism

I was incensed by your correspondent M A Moriarty (Letters, Aug 6) who suggested in his letter that curbing Zionism may bring peace to the Middle East.

I take issue with some of his assertions, in particular that Jews residing in Iran, Iraq, and Syria are free to engage in commerce.

The facts are that since these countries gained their freedom from their colonial masters after the Second World War, persecution of their Jewish populations dramatically increased. Jews were prevented from working in professions and denied university education. The result was that most of the Jews emigrated to Israel during the 1950s. As far as Iran was concerned the Jews fled after the Islamic revolution, in fear of their lives, leaving all their possessions behind.

Since the State of Israel was born in 1948 by United Nations mandate, they have suffered relentless terror attacks from all surrounding countries, including rocket attacks, murder, kidnapping and suicide bombers. There is no discrimination of Israeli Arabs, some of whom are members of the Israeli Parliament and are allowed to run businesses, etc. The Arabs do not allow this with their tiny Jewish populations.

I find Mr Moriarty’s letter strange, but not unsurprising given that the Irish people under successive governments gave secret sanctuary to murderous Nazi criminals after the war, and yes they did allow them to run big businesses.

Anthony Spencer

Shenley

Hertfordshire

England