I WAS still at school when my mother warned me to be wary of Jews. Mum, God bless her,  was born in 1919 and when she was growing up in the 1930s I suppose she was influenced by nasty rumours. At that time antisemitism was rife in Britain. 

Her prejudice didn’t have much effect on me. After I left home I met a British Jew who became one of my best friends. I admired Robbie because he was generous and funny, and he had the good sense to laugh at my jokes. We vied to chat up the most attractive woman each of us could but I don’t remember either of us being very successful! 

Robbie invited me home to meet his family, and I went on holiday to Spain with him. I liked Robbie, and I like Jewish people. 

The Western world rightly supports Israel as a safe homeland for Jewish people largely because millions of Jews were murdered in Nazi death camps. During the time I knew Robbie, most Britons admired Israel for having overcome surprise attacks by the Arab countries surrounding it. People believed vulnerable Israel was justified when it kept some Arab territory it seized in its counter-attacks. 

Israel’s occupation of those bits of Jordan, Egypt and Syria was declared illegal by the UN, and since then Israel has withdrawn from some parts of the captured land. 

Still Israel is hated by Palestinian Arabs living in territory that remains under Israeli rule. They resent most of Palestine being taken by Jews arriving from around the world over the last 100 years. Many Arabs have felt themselves forced from their homeland by what they see as unjustifiable Jewish state oppression. Today they live in foreign refugee camps. 

Many religious Israelis may have innocently added to Palestinian resentment because they believe they are the chosen people, picked by God. 

A succession of extreme Israeli governments has further stoked Palestinian outrage through policies encouraging Israelis to build homes on Palestinian land. 

Although moderate Israeli governments have compromised with Arab demands, notably by handing back the Gaza Strip in 2005, terrorists among the Arabs have nevertheless continued murderous attacks on Israel and its citizens. 

Throughout the conflict, Israelis have killed more Arabs than Arabs have killed Israelis. 

That’s my view of the history. I hope it’s fair. 

I don’t remember ever discussing Israel with Robbie, with whom I lost contact years ago. Since then I have visited Israel twice, and enjoyed the young country and its Jewish people. I haven’t met many Israeli Arabs though. I saw Arab-looking locals in old Jerusalem but I was too nervous to approach. They looked sullen and, knowing their history, I could understand why. 

But in the 1980s I did meet Arabs on the West Bank – the part of Jordan illegally occupied by Israel to this day. I was hitch-hiking and got picked up by a car full of men who didn’t speak English. I wanted to express admiration for their country so I did a thumbs-up and said: “Israel”. Oops! They corrected me: “Palestine!” 

By the way, their car radio was tuned to an Arabic voice interrupted by the chimes of Big Ben. I realised they were getting their news from the BBC World Service. 

Israelis are rightly proud of the state they have created but I fear that they fail to understand the depth of hatred that Palestinians feel about being robbed of their homeland. Arab young men particularly feel humiliated that their lives are controlled by hated Israeli invaders. 

Israel’s plan to end Hamas through violence will lead to worse violence. Instead of blowing up thousands of Palestinians and their homes, Israel should respond to the latest Hamas atrocity with less violence than it has suffered. Revenge encourages revenge. 

If Israel wants peace I believe it should acknowledge the hurt that it is causing Palestinians, and seek amends.