I'm genuinely not trying to be or sound arrogant. Nor am I claiming to understand anybody better than you (although I will say it's very strange that you think waking up to morning prayer or riding on the same train gives you special insight into how people feel).

Unless you've lived in Gaza, unless you've had your rights reduced to the same level as theirs, unless you are facing the absolute devastation they're facing now, I don't think it's arrogant to suggest that you're going to have to do more than wake up to the same sound as some Muslims do before you understand what they're going through.

Just on this point, I watched an interview with Norman Finkelstein yesterday, where he talked about how, after devoting his whole life to actually trying to empathise with Palestinians, he'd given up. "The Palestine question is dead," the thought.

The illegal settlements were continuing at increased speed, pushing the question of a two-state solution ever further into the distance, the international community and the media were totally silent, Saudia Arabia was talking about normalising relations with Israel, the last few people who seemed at all interested in the Palestinian plight were moving on for political reasons. No, things weren't better for them, they were simply pushed far enough out of mind that everyone who wanted to ignore it was able to do so.

Then Oct 7th happened. And suddenly, for all the wrong reasons, people at least remembered that the Palestinian people exist and that their conditions haven't changed.

I know you're not personally responsible for the decisions of the Israeli government (anymore than the Palestinians people are responsible for the decisions of Hamas), so I wan't trying to blame you. Sorry if it came across that way. I'm saying that Israel will never be at peace while it continues to oppress the Palestinian people. Unless, at least, Netanyahu follows through on his threat and wipes out every single man, women and suckling infant in Gaza. And that will have different consequences.

So I think the way to address that fear you're talking about is to address what's causing it.

Because no, you are not in their place. From what I know of what's happening in Northern Israel, it's terrible. Whatever you think of me because of my political views or whatever I think of you because of yours, my heart honestly goes out to you. Nobody deserves this. But it's not a fraction of what they're enduring. The very fact that we can have this conversation is evidence of that. Although, if you imagine how you’d feel about your enemy if this experience endured, and worsened, for the next 17 years, say, with no end or support in sight, I think you’ll know all you need to know.