Israel lobby in the United Kingdom

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Various groups in the United Kingdom are alleged to lobby on behalf of Israel.

Contents 1 Debate 2 Criticism 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Debate

In 2002 Dennis Sewell wrote an article called "A Kosher Conspiracy" in the New Statesman about what he described as the "Zionist lobby" in the United Kingdom and alleging "pro-Israel lobbying" in the United Kingdom by "pro-Israel organizations." The article alleged that arms trader Shlomo Zabludowicz funded the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM). It repeated allegations that under Conrad Black, owner of the British publications Daily Telegraph and Spectator, as well as the Jerusalem Post, "serious, critical reporting of Israel is no longer tolerated in the Telegraph Group," further alleging organized letter writing and "smear" campaigns against journalists for their criticisms of Israel, including against The Times foreign correspondent Sam Kiley, journalist and The Independent columnist Deborah Orr, The Independent's Robert Fisk and The Guardian's Suzanne Goldenberg. It also described his wife Barbara Amiel as an "enthusiastic Zionist columnist". According to Sewell "That there is a Zionist lobby and that it is rich, potent, and effective goes largely unquestioned on the left." However, he concluded "The truth is that the 'Zionist lobby' does exist, but is a clueless bunch."^[1]

The cover of the magazine, entitled "The Zionist Lobby: John Pilger and Dennis Sewell on Britain's pro-Israel lobby," and portraying a gold star of David sitting on top of a British flag, met with some protest. Mortimer Zuckerman and Bernard Harrison cited it as an example of "new antisemitism."^[2]. Emanuele Ottolenghi of St Antony's College, Oxford, told a British all-parliamentary inquiry into antisemitism that it evoked "classical anti-Jewish stereotypes" implying "wealth, "conspiracy" and "dishonesty" on the part of British Jews.^[3] Peter Wilby, the editor of The New Statesman, subsequently apologised for the cover, stating that while the magazine remained opposed to the policies of Israel, "We (or more precisely, I) got it wrong," and that the cover "used images and words in such a way as to create unwittingly the impression that the New Statesman was following an anti-Semitic tradition that sees the Jews as a conspiracy piercing the heart of the nation."^[4] Jessica Hodgson of The Guardian stated that "The grovelling editorial follows a protest last week by a group of activists calling themselves Action Against Anti-Semitism, who marched into the magazine's offices demanding it print an apology."^[5]

The London-based Jewish Chronicle reported in 2006 that Brian Kerner, former chair of Joint Israel Appeal argued that there was "the need for a body able to orchestrate British Jewry’s political and public relations" after the out break of the Palestinian Second Intifada. The day after it began, fifty Jewish leaders met with the Israeli ambassador and “raised an initial £250,000 fund for pro-Israel lobbying and public relations.” The article also noted that "a debate goes on in the community’s upper echelons over whether Bicom[1] should remain a mainly-behind-the-scenes player focussing on media or a more upfront pro-Israel lobby similar to the American Aipac...”^[6]

The British based Muslim group Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK (MPACUK), insists there is a "British Israel Lobby", stating that "there are over 100 members of the Friends of Israel lobby in the Labour party alone. This gives them a very loud voice simply because they are active, each and everyone is giving and working for the good of their community."^[7] In September 2006 a MPACUK article about Friends of Israel stated: "We would like to apologise to all the Warmongers, Anti-Ceasefire camp, pro-war camp, anti-Islam camp, anti-Muslim camp, Zionists, Israel Supporters, terrorists, extremists, fascists, right-wingers, Neo-Cons, Tony Blair, well pretty much everyone who doesn't believe in the existence of the British Israel Lobby for exposing you for hijacking our countries foreign policy, which promotes hatred/war/injustice and who can forget the rejection of the ceasefire in Lebanon."^[8]

In 2007 the Oxford Union, a British private debating society, entertained the proposition: “This House believes the pro-Israeli lobby has successfully stifled Western debate about Israel’s action.” The debate, moderated by British journalist Tim Sebastian, featured professor Norman Finkelstein, journalist Alexander Cockburn, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk and British journalist David Aaronovitch. Two-thirds of students voted that the pro-Israel lobby stifles debate.^[9]

In a 2007 opinion piece about the publication of Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer's book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy in Haaretz, Dave Rich, Deputy Director of Communications at Community Security Trust, a UK organization for the defense of British Jewry, contended: "The problem on this side of the Atlantic is that British politics lacks anything approaching the American system of openly declared political lobbies; a similar, AIPAC-style operation in Westminster would not just influence policy, it would also subvert fundamental democratic mechanisms."^[10] However, the BBC asserts that "many decisions made in the Houses of Parliament are made as a direct result of lobbying, the influencing of members' votes either by parliamentary colleagues, constituents or outside pressure groups." And that "nowadays, the term lobbying often refers more specifically to the work of private companies known as `lobbyists'."^[11] Rich concluded, "If there is a Jewish conspiracy, it is remarkably ineffective."^[10]

In 2008, in an article titled "New Israel lobby ‘not taking on Bicom’," the Jewish Chronicle reported that a new, yet unnamed London-based organisation would examine whether Israel received fair media coverage, but that it "would not compete with other Israeli lobbying groups such as Bicom, the Britain-Israel Communications and Research Centre, which seeks to present Israel’s case to journalists." Instead, it "would be keen to co-operate with communal organisations."^[12]

[edit] Criticism

Member of Parliament Baroness Jenny Tonge, who in 2004 said "I think if I had to live in that situation, and I say this advisedly, I might just consider becoming [a suicide bomber] myself,"^[13] and consequently was relieved of a shadow party position, said in 2006: "The pro-Israeli lobby has got its grips on the western world, its financial grips. I think they've probably got a grip on our party." In response, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell chastised Tonge, saying her remarks were "unacceptable" and had "clear anti-Semitic connotations." An all-party group of lords led by the former archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, said her "irresponsible and inappropriate" comments "evoked a classic anti-Jewish conspiracy theory" and were symptomatic of the rise of anti-Semitism in the UK. John Benjamin, chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, was quoted as saying: "If someone makes comments that are so at odds with what the party feels, and hopefully at odds with common decency, then one would hope that they are no longer made welcome in the party itself." In response Tonge said that Walt and Mearsheimer's article "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" that appeared in the March 23, 2006 issue of The London Review of Books provided extensive research supporting her assertion that the "'Israel lobby' had a disproportionate voice in Anglo-American foreign policy."^[14]

In 2006 Chris Davies, MEP for the northwest of England wrote to a constituent in reference to what he called "the racist policies of apartheid being put into practice by an Israeli Government”: “I shall tell them that I intend to speak out against this oppression at every opportunity, and I shall denounce the influence of the Jewish lobby that seems to have far too great a say over the political decision-making process in many countries.” In comments to TotallyJewish.Com he "confessed he didn’t know the difference between referring to the ‘pro Israel lobby’ and the ‘Jewish lobby’," and added “I’m quite prepared to accept that I don’t understand the semantics of some of these things.”^[15] Commenting on Davies' use of the term, David Hirsh of Engage writes Davies "has had to resign because his laudable instinct to side with the underdog was not tempered by care, thought or self-education." Davies resigned as leader of the Liberal Democrats group in the European Parliament.^[16]

In October, 2007 Amjad Barham, head of the Council of the Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees claimed that the "Israel lobby in the UK" was behind the University and College Union (UCU)'s decision to cancel the UK speaking tour of some Palestinian academics, and that they could "detect the not-so-hidden hand of the lobby in this latest episode of stifling debate on issues pertaining to Israeli policies and the complicity of the Israeli academy in perpetuating them."^[17]

Ghada Karmi, a Palestinian research fellow at the University of Exeter and vice-chair of the Council for Arab-British Understanding wrote on the Guardian's blog that "the newest and least attractive import from America, following on behind Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Friends, is the pro-Israel lobby,” referring to the Israel lobby in the United States. She alleges legal and other threats against the Oxford Union, Britains who sought to boycott Israeli universities, and the Royal Society of Medicine for inviting psychiatrist Dr. Derek Summerfield to a conference. She opines the threats succeeded because "Britain is different, naively innocent in the face of US-style assaults on its scholars and institutions. No wonder that those who have been attacked give in so quickly, nervous of something they do not understand."^[18]

In December 2007 a group of British academics and physicians including professor Mona Baker, psychiatrist Derek Summerfield and David Sedden of British Committee for Universities of Palestine wrote a letter to the Committee on Standards in Public Life, an advisory non-departmental public body of the British government. In it they claimed that the "Israel Lobby" - and specifically Friends of Israel - has "embedded itself in the British political establishment and at the very heart of government. Its stated purpose is to promote Israel’s interests in our Parliament and sway British policy." They charged that British Members of Parliament are "eating out of the Israeli government’s hand". According to Committee Chair Charles Ramsden, "It is very unlikely that this will come up on the agenda, because we deal with issues involving individuals."^[19]

[edit] See also

• Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland
• Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre
• Board of Deputies of British Jews
• Jewish Leadership Council
• Labour Friends of Israel
• Conservative Friends of Israel
• Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel
• British Committee for Universities of Palestine

[edit] References

[edit] External links