WITH the war on Gaza and the continued refusal of the Israeli government to accept international demands and law to negotiate a settlement there has been an increased tendency by some to conflate the actions of Israel with all Jews. This is wrong and as we know anti-semitism has been around for centuries. 

The Edict of Expulsion was a royal decree issued by Edward I on July 18 1290, expelling all Jews from England by no later than November 1 of that same year. This edict remained in place during the Middle Ages and was a culmination of over 200 years of anti-semitism.

Medieval England was particularly anti-Jewish with many images and tropes which exist today arising from that period such as tales of the Wandering Jew as a diabolical figure and allegations of ritual murders becoming widespread. In 1190 over 100 Jews were massacred in York.