Emotional scenes in Ireland yesterday as finally, after 38 years, the truth came out about Bloody Sunday. The British state told thousands of lies. It:

• blamed the victim
• libelled the dead
• planted evidence
• set up a whitewash inquiry
• promoted those responsible
• made the Queen decorate the officers
• gave the killers hefty state pensions

Before Bloody Sunday the IRA was a moribund organisation. After Bloody Sunday it couldn’t sign up recruits fast enough. IRA quartermasters scratched their heads as a mass of new weapons arrived and had cash coming out of their ears, much of it from the US.

Years of death and heartache followed. In other words, the idiot British state acted as the IRA’s recruiting sergeant, fund raiser, and international advertising agent.

It’s markedly similar to the situation in Israel now, with the Israeli state acting as Bin Laden’s enthusiastic recruiter-in-chief: killing Palestinians, lying about it, putting silver-tongued spokesmen on TV to spin the lies, blaming the victim, libelling the dead, organising whitewash inquiries, appointing people like Tony Blair to “investigate.”

Total madness. Israel’s behaviour led directly to planes hitting the Twin Towers and bombs on the London transport system. You can’t treat people that way and not expect blow-back.

To acknowledge the amazingly stupidity of the British and Israeli states isn’t to be soft on terrorism. Quite the reverse. It’s a simple acknowledgement that you can’t be vile to people and expect to get away with it. They may decide to respond. You may not like their response. It may not be morally pure.

But whose fault is that?