The Daily Telegraph of April 17 carried a summary of the debate in the House of Commons on the recent military operations in the occupied territories and in particular on the decision by Ariel Sharon`s cabinet sanctioning maximum destructive force in Jenin.

This is what the Daily Telegraph reported in relation to the intervention by Gerald Kaufman, a senior Labour MP and a prominent and highly respected British Jew:

"The Telegraph newspapers, pro-Sharon in their editorial line, deserve credit for reporting objectively what happened in Jenin last week. Something dreadful happened in Jenin. Mr Kaufman went on to tell the Commons of a report in Monday`s Daily Telegraph describing how Israeli soldiers beat Muntaha Seraya with their fists and guns after bursting into her home. Four months pregnant, she suffered a miscarriage half an hour after the soldiers left. Mr Kaufman heavily criticised Mr Sharon, calling him a `war criminal` and `a fool`. He said: `It is time to remind Sharon that the Star of David belongs to all Jews and not to his repulsive government. His actions are staining the Star of David with blood`."

In the face of such a devastating condemnation, expressions of solidarity with the victims of excessive military force, such as that applied in Jenin and in other Palestinian urban centres, assume full legitimacy. On the other hand, perhaps some may call Mr Kaufman "naïve"!