OPINION: Now it is up to everyone in our country to stand united against antisemitism
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper writes for Jewish News after attending an October 7 commemoration service at the Finchley Reform Synagogue
Two years on from the events of October 7, the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust, we remember all those who tragically lost their lives in that barbaric attack.
For many, the pain and suffering continues, especially the hostages still cruelly held by Hamas, including UK-linked Avinatan Or, and their loved ones who have spent the last two years in torment. We all hope their ordeal will soon be at an end, and we are continuing to work tirelessly towards that goal.
For British Jews, last week’s horrific attack on a synagogue in Manchester makes this year’s commemoration all the more painful, and over recent days, I’ve heard the grief and fear from members of the Jewish community in the UK and overseas.
More than a decade ago, the synagogue I visited this morning in Finchley threw open its doors to members of North London’s Somali Muslim community at the start of Ramadan, after their own religious centre was wrecked by an arson attack.
That is typical of the Jewish community in our country, and the efforts they have always made to build bridges with people of different faiths, and to show solidarity with others who have faced the discrimination and abuse that they sadly know all too well.
Now it is up to everyone in our country to stand united against antisemitism, and show our solidarity with the Jewish community in Britain that has suffered the most appalling intimidation, abuse and violence, since the horrors of October 7 right through to last week’s heinous attack at the Heaton Park Synagogue.
The UK remains unwavering in our commitment to root antisemitism and extremism out of our communities and our country in all of its forms. This hatred has no place in the UK and we will do everything in our power to keep the Jewish community safe, and ensure that international debates on foreign policy are never allowed to justify prejudice or abuse here at home.
In the Middle East, two years on from the massacres of October 7, after the devastating loss of life and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza since then, the new US-led peace initiative offers a desperately needed opportunity to bring this suffering to an end, and restore the hope of a peaceful and secure future to the Israeli and Palestinian people alike.
We will continue to play our part alongside our international partners to support the peace initiative and bring about that more hopeful future, starting with a permanent ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages, the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and negotiations towards a just and lasting peace.
There can be no place in the future governance of Palestine for the barbaric Hamas terrorists who massacred innocent people in Israel two years ago, but for everyone else who wants to see Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security, now is the moment of opportunity, and we must work together to seize it.
At home and abroad, that spirit of togetherness and determination in the interests of peace should guide us now.
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