THIS is with reference to ‘UFO over Islamabad’ (Nov 3) by Irfan Husain. We need to differentiate between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. Israel is a state created by the Zionists with the support of the West after the Balfour declaration.

It is Europe that persecuted the Jews for nearly 2,000 years whereas they lived peacefully throughout the Muslim world.

Instead of Europe providing them with land, they were dumped in Palestine. The Palestinians were thrown out of their towns and villages to make way for Zionists.

The writer is right when he says that the creation of Israel was yet another reminder of how enfeebled the Ummah had become.

Israel is a part of the Anglo-Saxon world. We should strengthen our economy and develop our country. Relations with Iran and Afghanistan need to be improved and attempts should be made to improve ties with India as well.

The US is the biggest supporter of Israel. The Israeli lobby is so strong in the US that no American government dare oppose Israel. I don’t understand how the embassy of a weak Muslim country in Tel Aviv will help the Palestinians or Pakistan.

M. Hasham Khan
Rawalpindi

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IT is unfortunate that a seasoned journalist like Irfan Husain argues in his write up ‘UFO over Islamabad’ (Nov 3) that Pakistan should move closer to Israel.

Zionists colonisers are brutal and inhuman, indulging in racism and bigotry in its worst form by adopting a policy of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. They have surpassed colonised South Africa by a huge margin.

Israel is Middle Eastern outpost of the US strategic and economic interests. It is a tiny country of six million imposed on the inhabitants of Palestine. It is totally dependent on American military and economic assistance.

Israeli brutality has no end when it comes to stone-throwing or kite-flying Palestinian children and women who consistently confront the tanks and other sophisticated weaponry — all provided by the US.

Israelis hide their crimes under the guise of ‘anti-Semitism’, when their brutality is challenged.

Gaza is regarded as the world’s largest prison without a roof, which is squeezed from all sides by the trigger-happy Israeli military machine. Let the authoritarian and ruthless rulers of the Gulf and the Middle East do whatever they desire, but Pakistan must adhere to its principled policy of supporting the Palestinian war of liberation.

We should never ever recognise apartheid Israel unless a sovereign state of Palestine is established.

Dr Farooq Hasnat
Lahore

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2018