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Dear , I am writing to you as my MP regarding the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and antisemitism in the UK. On October 7th 2023 the State of Israel and its citizens were subjected to a brutal terrorist attack which resulted in the murder, torture, rape and kidnapping of over 1,500 people. It was the largest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust and the worst terrorist attack since 9/11. One hundred and fifteen hostages remain unaccounted for, including a baby. Israel is still under attack from rockets. Over 19,000 unguided rockets were launched towards Israel between October 7th and June 10th. This doesn’t include the rockets which are launched from Gaza and malfunction or go off course, sometimes injuring and killing Gazans. A further 6,900 rockets have been fired by Hezbollah and another 200 drones and missiles from the Houthis. More than 215,000 Israelis are still internally displaced, unable to return home. While the media often focuses solely on the impact of the war in Gaza, the trauma is ongoing in Israel. Hamas’s terrorist attack and its refusal to return the hostages have been designed to cause maximum fear and distress. It knew that there would be terrible consequences for the people of Gaza. It compounds misery for the people of Gaza by the holding of hostages, storage of arms and firing of missiles from heavily populated civilian areas — the tragedy of these casualties is the responsibility of Hamas alone, not Israel. While I appreciate the support that the UK government has given to Israel, I would like your assurance that you will continue to support Israel’s military action until it has achieved its objectives of freeing the hostages and removing Hamas from power. I would appreciate your consideration of the following points: • The resumption of funding to UNRWA is extremely concerning, since UNRWA does not recognise Hamas as a terrorist organisation and some of its staff were allegedly involved in the terrorist attack. Indeed, a $1 billion lawsuit in New York representing 101 plaintiffs claims UNRWA helped Hamas build its terror infrastructure and UNRWA staff were vital to the October 7th attack. Furthermore, UNRWA’s premises have been used as storage facilities for Hamas’s munitions and some of its educational materials are antisemitic. They referred to the Jewish state as the “enemy”, omitted the state of Israel from maps and used phrases like “Jihad is one of the doors to Paradise”. Why would His Majesty’s Government want to fund such evil propaganda? • That a state of Palestine should not be recognised by His Majesty’s Government while Hamas refuses to recognise the state of Israel, rejects Israel’s ceasefire terms and refuses to release the hostages. For HMG to recognise a Palestinian state at this moment would reward some of the most horrific terrorism of our lifetime and undermine Israel’s capacity to defend itself. • Hamas still holds 115 hostages, including women and babies. Ariel Bibas was kidnapped at the age of four and his brother Kfir Bibas when just nine months. Kfir has spent more of his life as a hostage than he did in Israel — and we know nothing of the conditions he and his brother are being held in. Each day the hostages are held is a threat to their lives. Only after they are brought home can the conditions for a lasting peace be discussed. Appallingly, even some survivors of the Holocaust were taken on October 7th — “Never Again!” did not last for one generation. All MPs, including you, should be demanding the return of hostages. • Antisemitism has reached unacceptable levels in the UK since October 7th. According to a poll by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, 48% of British Jews said that they had considered leaving the UK due to antisemitism. Sixty-nine per cent of Jews were less likely to show signs of their Judaism in public and 61% said that they, or someone they know, has experienced or witnessed an antisemitic incident in the UK since the Hamas pogrom. This is shameful for us as a nation. MPs should be loudly supportive of British Jews and condemn antisemitism in the strongest terms. In conclusion, I ask you to stand with the British Jewish community in its hour of need and to support Israel in the same way we would want the UK to be supported by Israel, had we faced a similar attack. I look forward to your reply.