Is the West giving up on Israel? Given the scale and the barbarism of the 7 October pogrom, you might have expected more people to rally to Israel’s side. Instead, we have seen vast anti-Israel marches, an explosion in anti-Semitism and a widespread apologism for Hamas’s terror. Many among the establishment, media and political left seem to revel in chastising Israel as it seeks to defend itself from terrorism. What does this lack of solidarity say to people in Israel?

Brendan O’Neill: What impact has Hamas’s attacks had on the people in Israel?

Melanie Phillips: I don’t think it can be overstated that Israel is still in a state of absolute trauma. Many people are here because they thought Israel was the one safe place for Jews. A place where, finally, Jews wouldn’t go into the slaughter, unarmed and unprotected, as we did in the Holocaust. That’s been completely shattered. And so people are very angry.