Published: 30 September, 2011

• I WAS astonished to read that an outside body, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, had intervened to prevent some Islington schools participating in the Tottenham Palestine Literature Festival and even more disturbed that Islington Council’s director of children’s services had succumbed to the board’s advice/pressure to withdraw the schools from the event (Anger at Palestinian
festival ban for schools, September 23).

Where is the tolerance children are supposed to learn?

What arrogance on the part of the Board of Deputies to push their prejudices onto our schools, and for shame that they were allowed to deprive the children of a cultural day they were apparently looking forward to.

ANNETTE THOMAS
Bardolph Road, N7

• WE very much regret that pupils from Islington schools are being prevented from taking part in the Tottenham Palestine Literary Festival activities.

The two really positive aspects of this initiative are that it will engage young people in human rights and social justice issues – an important aspect of their learning – and that it is being jointly prepared and delivered by Palestinians and Jews.

That collaboration between Palestinians and Jews is surely something to be celebrated. Citizenship teaching is very much about engaging children with topical issues and issues of social justice, and the Palestinian issue is certainly very topical

KEN MULLER
Islington National Union of Teachers

• “Enough, enough, enough!” was Mahmoud Abbas’s cry to the United Nations last week in a dramatic plea for statehood for Palestinians. People in Ramallah were pictured waiting, suspended, hoping against hope.

We have seen so many political surprises in the Middle East in the last year that now it feels once again the two-state solution could bring peace to Israel and Palestine.

The response from UN delegates lacked consensus (again!).

The question of Palestine remains a deeply contested area and not just in the UN, but also in Islington, as the Tribune’s front-page article last week showed.

Local authority letters asking schools to abide by the law and present a balance in the way this sensitive topic is taught appear prosaic but, in fact, are important, as there is sadly no consensus yet on this crucial but highly-contested subject.

There is no doubt that the excellent work of Michael Rosen and other writers will bring light not heat to increase students’ understanding of this lengthy conflict.

I am sure our educators, experts in community cohesion, will get the balance right and I wish all the very best to the Palestine Literary Festival as it goes ahead.

CLLR CATHERINE WEST
Leader, Islington Labour group