Calls for community cohesion in Cumbria as Middle East tensions grow
Iran launched a number of drones towards Israel over the weekend.
Last updated 16th Apr 2024
A leader in the Jewish community in Cumbria says the growing tensions in the Middle East are affecting people from all walks of life in the UK.
It's as it's understood Israel's going to delay its planned ground offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza - following Iranian rocket attacks.
Yesterday Rishi Sunak stated he'll speak to his Israeli counterpart to discuss how to "prevent further escalation" in Israel, after Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at the country on Saturday.
The PM says the UK destroyed a "number of Iranian drones" at the time, and that Tehran's "shown its true colours".
The incident over the weekend left Jewish people across Cumbria concerned for their friends and family in Tel-Aviv and Israel.
Noah Katz is the chair of the Lancaster and Lakes Jewish Community and said;
"A cousin of mine in Tel-Aviv messaged me saying she was oscillating between calm and hysteria. She has two kids under 3 and war should not be normality for any child, no matter their religion or nationality.
"Most Jewish people I know barely slept over Saturday night. There was a prolongued period over 3 or 4 hours where we had no idea what the impact was going to be, how many of friends might have gotten hurt or how much would've been damaged.
"This marks a significant shift, it's the first time in this conflict that one UN member state has directly attacked another UN member state. It's really scary.
"We need community cohesion now more than other. With frankly scary escalations happening the need will only grow stronger."