From Mr Naim Attallah
Sir: It is most uncommon for the proprietor of a magazine to take to task in print one of its leading columnists because he happens to disagree with certain views that have been expressed. Last week in The Spectator Conrad Black did exactly that after being incensed by a critical attack made on Israel
by Taki. I do not wish to go into the merits or demerits of Taki's article, but only to point out that any contribution that helps to heighten the level of the debate is not to be condemned. Mr Black claimed that the piece went beyond the boundaries, presumably those that would have been acceptable to him, and that it amounted to anti-Semitism, a term often used to shield Israel from any criticism.
Although I was born a Palestinian and feel great sentimental attachment to the people of Palestine and their plight, I have always refused to engage in the kind of politics likely to give encouragement or comfort to those who wish to settle complex and emotive problems by force or terrorism. I invariably feel angry and depressed whenever an act is committed that causes the death or injury of innocent people and, whichever side has suffered them, regard such tragedies as calamities unacceptable in humanitarian terms. On the one hand, we should never forget the great suffering of the Jewish people throughout history, but, on the other, neither should we close our eyes to what is happening today. Intemperate journalism, whether it emanates from Taki or Conrad Black or his wife Barbara Amid, whom I know and admire, will do nothing to defuse a potentially explosive situation in a land torn by strife for more than six decades.
I have always thought that serious criticism is a healthy tool because it highlights human frailties and ultimately induces people of goodwill to sit together, break bread and make peace. The extremists on both sides relish the partisan stance of those who wield political influence through the media because it gives them licence to carry on with their violent ways. A man of the stature and intelligence of Conrad Black is in a position to make a real difference to the direction being taken by all parties in Israel at the moment. No one can pretend that peace is easily attainable in the region, but we must all try to attain the impossible, if only to build for the future and to prevent the Holocaust from recurring ever again.
Naim Attallah
London W1
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