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People in the arts community who have sympathy with Israel are treated “basically like a Nazi” according to the writer of a major new TV drama. David Ireland has said that the situation in Israel and Gaza is an “impossible thing to talk about” for some people working in the arts. Ireland is the writer behind the ITV crime thriller Coldwater staring Eve Myles and Andrew Lincoln, as well as The Fifth Step, a play currently starring Jack Louden and Martin Freeman and showing at the Soho Place in London. Born in Belfast, Ireland has said that there is a natural affinity between unionist communities in Northern Ireland and Israel. In this episode of The State of Us, he explores that, and much more – including his relationship with alcohol, God and the rest of the arts community. Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk