A very interesting use of symbolic language by the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has slammed this week’s settler violence as having “no name other than pogrom”.

Stating that he is deeply “ashamed”, Olmert summoned the word most often used to describe mob attacks against Jews in Europe to encapsulate the recent turmoil in which 17 Palestinians were injured by settler gunfire.

Rather predictably, castigators have come out in force condemning his choice of words, which raises the question of when will the persistent persecution of the Palestinians be regarded with the urgency that it necessitates?

It goes without saying that I am no supporter of Israeli leaders; however, I must concede that serious times require serious measures – if it is a word that captures the injustice and evokes attention and ire, then Olmert is spot on.