Of course they are ‘hate marches’ - their purpose is to intimidate British Jews

In the battle between Suella Braverman and the police over the Palestinian “hate marches”, one important aspect of the mass protests has been almost entirely passed over: their utter futility.

What is the true purpose of these protests? We’re told those calling for Jihad or the defeat of Jews in battle are fringe voices. The official call of the crowd is for an immediate ceasefire. In reality, though, even the most middle of the road protestor must know their chanting and marching in London won’t achieve that.

Sure, the protests are a massive irritant for Britons, but those taking to the streets have no real impact on what’s going on in Israel and Gaza. And they’re not winning anyone over in the UK. They certainly don’t move us nearer to making peace in the Middle East. Quite the contrary.

Conversely, many thousands of Israelis have worked tirelessly for decades doing far more to build cooperation and coexistence with Palestinians than the mob disrupting British train stations, threatening students and sullying the solemnity of armistice day. Their calls of “from the river to the sea” present a maximalist and racist call for a Palestinian state in place of Israel.

That isn’t a realistic aim of anyone except for Hamas and other extremists. The protestors are actually damaging the chances of peaceful coexistence, and they know it.

The protests will make no difference to the likelihood of a ceasefire because the British government and the international leaders, rightly back Israel’s determination to erase the terrorist threat on its doorstep.

Prior to the brutal Palestinian terrorist attacks on 7th October, Benjamin Netanyahu survived nearly a year of highly divisive, mass street protests in Israel over his judicial reform proposals. They failed to substantially alter the political landscape then, so the blue haired ‘free free Palestine’ brigade in London are hardly likely to change his mind now.

The protests in the UK appear to be an exercise in futility, failing to sway British political opinion or garner significant international pressure for a ceasefire.

The reality on the ground, with over 200 hostages, including young children, in the hands of Hamas, challenges the feasibility of any moral authority in demanding a ceasefire. The stark truth is that a ceasefire with Hamas would be tantamount to surrender: an unacceptable compromise for Israel.

Where issues like judicial reform divided Israeli society, the threat posed by Hamas unites Israelis across political spectrums. Since the brutal Palestinian terrorist attacks on 7th October, Israeli society has found unprecedented unity, transcending traditional divides.

The sympathy for Israel, cutting across ethnic and political lines, has reached a historic high: in a poll published on Friday by the Israel Democracy Institute, 70 percent of Arab Israeli citizens said they feel part of the country, compared to 48 percent in June. That’s the highest finding for the sector since these surveys began 20 years ago. For Israeli Jews, its 94 percent – a peak last matched in 2003.

Asked if they would leave Israel if given an alternative Western citizenship, 80.5 percent of Jewish Israelis and 59 percent of Arabs said they would stay. The war has hardened Israelis of all groups against their common enemy, and it should do the same for us against ours.

The protesters, of course, seem well aware of these complexities. The call for a ceasefire is, at its core, a facade. Rather, the underlying agenda appears to be an attempt to cultivate widespread, generalised animosity towards Israel.

Some elements within the protest clearly also seek to intimidate Jews and silence those advocating for a secure Israel free from terrorist threats. Their failure to loudly and repeatedly demand the release of over 200 hostages taken by Palestinian terrorists, including children and women, underscores the moral bankruptcy of these demonstrations.

Our shameful British protestors are more focused on intimidation and bullying — of Jewish people and of ordinary Britons trying to get on with our lives. Too bad – their nuisance parades will only make the Palestinian cause as unpopular as Just Stop Oil. And people are right to feel threatened by them. Imagine entering those baying crowds and daring to express your disagreement. We’ve seen what happens to those who do: they’re menacingly jeered at and threatened, or far worse. That’s utterly unacceptable in the UK. Free speech, debate and argument are healthy. Bullying and intimidation are not.

In the face of such protests, we need to be honest with ourselves.

We must recognise the difference between those who strive for genuine peace and the protesters who, under the guise of concern, aim to instil fear and submission in the rest of us.

Suella Braverman's characterisation of these events as "hate marches" resonates with the evident lack of a constructive purpose in the protests. Our democratic respect for freedom of speech and protest is only undermined when we allow bullies to highjack it in order to make others afraid.