MANY of the stories that I hear from pulpits are uncorroborated tales. In streets and homes across the land one can hear of the exploits of various apocryphal members of the public.

It is therefore surprising that the BBC and the Rev John Bell should apologise for having broadcast such an item on the radio.

Two thousand years ago there was a man in Israel who used such uncorroborated tales of Samaritans, servants, agricultural workers, sheep, weddings and the like to illustrate various controversial points. Clearly the passage of time has not dampened the enthusiasm of the Israeli authorities to speak out against such tales and take action to suppress apparent lies. [Emphasis added]

The foundation of the attack against Dr Bell appears to be based on a concern regarding anti-Semitism. Unfortunately, any criticism of the Israeli government and the actions of the State of Israel is now taken as being anti-Semitic. Such a term should be reserved for hostility or discrimination against Jews for simply being Jewish or for observing the Jewish faith. The term should not be used to deflect unfavourable comments about the way that governments abuse their powers.

The Israeli government is no different from those in authority in, for example, Great Britain and the United States. Governments are like monoliths in exercising power on behalf of the people and from time to time must be reminded of the need to see beyond their own self-centred interests to those of the human race. If an uncorroborated story concerning any member of the Israeli Army, real or imaginary, can aid that process then that should be applauded.

So faced with a libel perpetrated against the Jews, Gemmill concludes that the Jews who are protesting are trying to suppress the truth and crucify the perpetrator, just like he thinks they did to Jesus! One is aghast at this calumny piled upon calumny, at the anti-Jewish prejudice that is here revealed and at the brazen revelation of the ancient theological underpinning of this prejudice. Gemmill assumes that what Bell said was true, even though there is not a shred of evidence for it and even though his account contained two demonstrable errors of fact which should surely give any rational person grounds for suspecting that the whole thing was a farrago of nonsense.