I START this letter with an explanation and end with an appeal. I am not an anti-Semite, and can’t be one as Semitic blood also flows in my veins. Arabs and Jews are both Semites, and HLA or gene typing shows their racial closeness. They have lived in peace and harmony for centuries.

The Bible regards Jews as the “chosen” people, although I do not understand why God should be partial towards any of his creation. Some Christians unconditionally support Israel as the second coming of Christ is to occur in Jerusalem. The “Promised Land “ has no clear boundaries, and may include all of the Middle East and even Egypt as Jewish tribes have once lived in all of these lands.

An oft-quoted sentence from the Bible reads: “Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” This forms the basis of justice according to orthodox Jews. However, this statement also puts a limit on the degree of punishment to be inflicted.

This limitation has been surpassed manifold by Israel. The number of Israeli soldiers killed is less than 56 versus the over 1,400 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children. Israeli armed forces have used weaponry not only to kill Palestinians but make Gaza unliveable.

This whole episode is particularly sad, as the Jewish people have suffered the Holocaust and know all about the suffering of the defenceless in the face of attack by a well-armed and ruthless enemy.

My plea to Jewish intellectuals, who have made outstanding contributions in all walks of life, is to raise their voice against the Israeli government’s brutality so that the people of Gaza can sleep in peace. This will benefit the Israeli people in the long run and promote peace in the whole region.

Dr Viqar Zaman,

Karachi.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2014