I take it Will that your Jewish friend of 50 years lives here in the UK? He can opine whatever he wishes because should things go pear shaped he knows that he and his family will not have to pick up the tab. Israel is a sovereign state recognised by the United Nations - NO-ONE on this earth has the right to threaten it, or attack it. And those who do, or allow such attacks to mounted from their territory should fully accept the responsibility for any retaliatory action that results from those attacks.

The confusion seems to arise from a basic distinction - which is not being made - between government and race. I can, for example, criticise the government of an African country to my heart's content, should I feel so inclined. This does not make me anti-black per se. I can equally criticise the government of Israel, should I feel so inclined - and this equally does not make me anti-semitic per se.

To accept the alternative definition - that anyone who criticises an African government must therefore commit the social crime of being anti-black, and anyone who criticises the Israeli government commits the social crime of being anti-semitic - is to say that these governments are beyond criticism. Which is patently monsense. It's not the race being criticised - it's the actions of government, regardless of race.

And that really is the end of my comment here, because I can't make it any plainer.