3 oct 2017
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A new video has shown strong anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian sentiment among Israelis in Jerusalem.
In a 2016 study, some 79 percent of Israeli Jews said they deserved preferential treatment in Israel A new video has shown strong anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian sentiment among Israelis in Jerusalem, with residents providing extreme solutions to the country's conflict, such as killing all Palestinians and transferring them to other Arab countries. "I would carpet bomb them - it's the only way to deal with it," one Israeli said in the video by the TeleSUR television network, released on Sunday. Another young lady said, "We need to kill Arabs," while one man proposed that Israel kick all Arabs out. The interviews were conducted on Zion Street in Jerusalem. Many of those interviewed by TeleSUR were American Jews who had immigrated to Israel. "I think that Islam is a very bad disease, not just for Israel, but for all around the world. We can see it. They think we all have to be Islam; if you're not Islam, they will kill you," one man responded. A younger man from the right-wing organisation Lehava, which works to prevent interaction between Jews and Palestinians, said: "Jews are a special nation - God gave it to the Jews. We don't want Jews to get mixed up with a different nation." READ MORE: 'It's okay to be racist in Israel' In a study by the US-based Pew Research Center in 2016, almost of half of Israel's Jewish citizens expressed their support for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. For the statement "Arabs should be expelled or transferred from Israel", 48 percent said they agreed or strongly agreed. In addition, some 79 percent of Israeli Jews said they deserved preferential treatment in Israel. Israeli politicians have also been complicit in fuelling hatred of |
Palestinians.
In July, an Israeli legislator, Oren Hazan, said he would "execute" a Palestinian assailant's family as revenge for an operation that killed three Israelis in an illegal West Bank settlement.
In response to the comments, Mustafa Barghouti, former Palestinian information minister, told Al Jazeera in an earlier article that such comments were "very dangerous" and exposed "how deeply ingrained racism" has become in Israel.
"We're talking about racism in every political speech and every television broadcast," added Barghouti.
In 2014, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked published a post on Facebook calling for a genocide of Palestinians: "What's so horrifying about understanding that the entire Palestinian people is the enemy? They are all enemy combatants, and their blood shall be on all their heads."
And in a speech to the World Zionist Congress in 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Adolf Hitler had no interest in exterminating the Jews of Europe, until a Palestinian convinced him to.
Also, during Israel's annual celebration of the 1967 occupation of the Palestinian territories, right wing nationalist Jews often rampage around East Jerusalem's Old City, carrying Israeli flags and shouting anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim slogans such as "Death to the Arabs".
In July, an Israeli legislator, Oren Hazan, said he would "execute" a Palestinian assailant's family as revenge for an operation that killed three Israelis in an illegal West Bank settlement.
In response to the comments, Mustafa Barghouti, former Palestinian information minister, told Al Jazeera in an earlier article that such comments were "very dangerous" and exposed "how deeply ingrained racism" has become in Israel.
"We're talking about racism in every political speech and every television broadcast," added Barghouti.
In 2014, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked published a post on Facebook calling for a genocide of Palestinians: "What's so horrifying about understanding that the entire Palestinian people is the enemy? They are all enemy combatants, and their blood shall be on all their heads."
And in a speech to the World Zionist Congress in 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Adolf Hitler had no interest in exterminating the Jews of Europe, until a Palestinian convinced him to.
Also, during Israel's annual celebration of the 1967 occupation of the Palestinian territories, right wing nationalist Jews often rampage around East Jerusalem's Old City, carrying Israeli flags and shouting anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim slogans such as "Death to the Arabs".
Israel’s war minister Avigdor Lieberman warned on Monday that the next war is likely to feature attacks on population centers and civilians, according to Haaretz daily.
Avigdor Lieberman, who took part on Monday evening in a ceremony in which certificates of honor were awarded to 31 Israeli officers and soldiers from various units in the army, said: “The next confrontation, if it breaks out, will take on a completely different character, when our enemies will try to strike first at population centers and civilian infrastructure. So we will not have the luxury to wage a long war.”
"We live in a new reality of a new Middle East, which is much worse than the old Middle East. And in this terrible new reality, we have yet to face difficult tests,” he added.
"Any confrontation will have to be conducted from the very first moment in the highest profile, using all the army’s strengths," Lieberman continued. "If there is a crossing of red lines, the other side must know in advance that it is going to pay very heavy prices.”
"The sovereign, too, regardless of whether he controls his territory or not - as soon as a hostile action takes place, the sovereign will also bear all the responsibility," the war minister further threatened.
The international community has ceaselessly sounded alarm bells over the Israeli aggressions on civilian homes, infrastructure, and unarmed communities across the occupied Palestinian territories and the blockaded Gaza Strip, in aggressions deemed by the international law as crimes against humanity.
Avigdor Lieberman, who took part on Monday evening in a ceremony in which certificates of honor were awarded to 31 Israeli officers and soldiers from various units in the army, said: “The next confrontation, if it breaks out, will take on a completely different character, when our enemies will try to strike first at population centers and civilian infrastructure. So we will not have the luxury to wage a long war.”
"We live in a new reality of a new Middle East, which is much worse than the old Middle East. And in this terrible new reality, we have yet to face difficult tests,” he added.
"Any confrontation will have to be conducted from the very first moment in the highest profile, using all the army’s strengths," Lieberman continued. "If there is a crossing of red lines, the other side must know in advance that it is going to pay very heavy prices.”
"The sovereign, too, regardless of whether he controls his territory or not - as soon as a hostile action takes place, the sovereign will also bear all the responsibility," the war minister further threatened.
The international community has ceaselessly sounded alarm bells over the Israeli aggressions on civilian homes, infrastructure, and unarmed communities across the occupied Palestinian territories and the blockaded Gaza Strip, in aggressions deemed by the international law as crimes against humanity.
Israeli Former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has claimed that only Jews have the national right for self-determination in Israel.
Livni, whose Hatnuah faction forms part of the opposition Zionist camp, made the remarks as part of ongoing discussions in the Knesset about the exact nature of a proposed “nation-state bill,” which seeks to consolidate the state of Israel’s nature as a “Jewish” state.
According to a report in the Jerusalem Post, a number of Israeli parliamentarians – including Livni – are concerned that the proposed legislation will not mention “equality.”
Livni, whose Hatnuah faction forms part of the opposition Zionist camp, made the remarks as part of ongoing discussions in the Knesset about the exact nature of a proposed “nation-state bill,” which seeks to consolidate the state of Israel’s nature as a “Jewish” state.
According to a report in the Jerusalem Post, a number of Israeli parliamentarians – including Livni – are concerned that the proposed legislation will not mention “equality.”
The demand is opposed by others, including influential figures such as Likud member and coalition chair David Bitan.
According to Days of Palestine, Livni was quoted in the article as demanding that legislators “take the Declaration of Independence and write simply that Israel is the state of the Jewish people in which there is equality for all.”
She added: “A state in which only the Jewish people have the national right for self-determination and there is equality.”
Many Palestinian citizens of Israel, who have always faced institutional discrimination, argue that real equality is impossible so long as Israel is defined as a “Jewish state” rather than a state of all its citizens.
Israel’s Declaration of Independence announces the establishment of a “Jewish state,” but does not mention “democracy” once. The right to equality is not currently enshrined in Israeli law.
In 2008, Livni told Tel Aviv school students that “once a Palestinian state is established,” she can turn around and tell Palestinian citizens of Israel: “the national solution for you is elsewhere.”
According to Days of Palestine, Livni was quoted in the article as demanding that legislators “take the Declaration of Independence and write simply that Israel is the state of the Jewish people in which there is equality for all.”
She added: “A state in which only the Jewish people have the national right for self-determination and there is equality.”
Many Palestinian citizens of Israel, who have always faced institutional discrimination, argue that real equality is impossible so long as Israel is defined as a “Jewish state” rather than a state of all its citizens.
Israel’s Declaration of Independence announces the establishment of a “Jewish state,” but does not mention “democracy” once. The right to equality is not currently enshrined in Israeli law.
In 2008, Livni told Tel Aviv school students that “once a Palestinian state is established,” she can turn around and tell Palestinian citizens of Israel: “the national solution for you is elsewhere.”
30 sept 2017
An Israeli “Sky Rider” pilotless aircraft (drone) fell and crashed on Friday in an area between al-Khalil and Bethlehem in the Occupied West Bank.
A spokesman for the Israeli occupation army stated in press remarks that soldiers managed to locate and recover the drone after finding it near Bethlehem, affirming it was not carrying sensitive or classified information.
In a similar incident a few days ago, two drones of the same type fell in the West Bank.
Consequently, the Israeli army decided to freeze the flying operations of Sky Rider drones until further notice, especially after the total number of the same pilotless aircrafts that had fallen since the beginning of 2017 amounted to seven.
A spokesman for the Israeli occupation army stated in press remarks that soldiers managed to locate and recover the drone after finding it near Bethlehem, affirming it was not carrying sensitive or classified information.
In a similar incident a few days ago, two drones of the same type fell in the West Bank.
Consequently, the Israeli army decided to freeze the flying operations of Sky Rider drones until further notice, especially after the total number of the same pilotless aircrafts that had fallen since the beginning of 2017 amounted to seven.
Israel protested after Russia hosted a senior Hamas leader in Moscow, Saleh Arouri who was part of a Hamas delegation to Moscow. For several years, Arouri was based in Turkey, where he communicated instructions to Hamas. He then moved to Doha, Qatar, and now lives in Lebanon.
The Hamas delegation, headed by deputy head of the organization’s political bureau, Musa Abu Marzook, arrived in Moscow for talks with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister for Middle Eastern Affairs, Mikhail Bogdanov.
Minister of Environmental Protection Ze’ev Elkin, who met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Wednesday, complained and voiced to him Israel’s position that Arouri’s participation in the delegation was unacceptable.
Elkin said that Arouri’s visit to Moscow was a central issue. He said that he told him that Israel and Russia have disagreed for years specifically regarding ties with Hamas, but that this case was an exceptionally crucial incident, that “even in contacts with Hamas there are limits that should not be crossed, and this is a classic case in which Israel believes the limit has been crossed”.
According to the PNN, Elkin also talked about a document from Israel’s Foreign Ministry regarding Arouri’s involvement in certain actions done by Hamas that are disapproved by Israel and have been considered to be attacks, throughout recent years.
Elkin, in his talks with the Russian Minister, tried his best to emphasize claims of violence done by Arouori, who he says is a dangerous person that cannot be treated as if he is not involved in many attacks. He even turned to some of his advisers present at the meeting and asked them how Arouri had even received a visa to enter Russia.
After being told that Arouri was part of an official Hamas delegation, the Russian Minster was reportedly surprised and instructed his advisers to open an investigation and ensure that the case would not be repeated.
According to Haaretz, Elkin added that Lavrov also denied reports that Hamas had opened an official office in Moscow.
The Hamas delegation, headed by deputy head of the organization’s political bureau, Musa Abu Marzook, arrived in Moscow for talks with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister for Middle Eastern Affairs, Mikhail Bogdanov.
Minister of Environmental Protection Ze’ev Elkin, who met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Wednesday, complained and voiced to him Israel’s position that Arouri’s participation in the delegation was unacceptable.
Elkin said that Arouri’s visit to Moscow was a central issue. He said that he told him that Israel and Russia have disagreed for years specifically regarding ties with Hamas, but that this case was an exceptionally crucial incident, that “even in contacts with Hamas there are limits that should not be crossed, and this is a classic case in which Israel believes the limit has been crossed”.
According to the PNN, Elkin also talked about a document from Israel’s Foreign Ministry regarding Arouri’s involvement in certain actions done by Hamas that are disapproved by Israel and have been considered to be attacks, throughout recent years.
Elkin, in his talks with the Russian Minister, tried his best to emphasize claims of violence done by Arouori, who he says is a dangerous person that cannot be treated as if he is not involved in many attacks. He even turned to some of his advisers present at the meeting and asked them how Arouri had even received a visa to enter Russia.
After being told that Arouri was part of an official Hamas delegation, the Russian Minster was reportedly surprised and instructed his advisers to open an investigation and ensure that the case would not be repeated.
According to Haaretz, Elkin added that Lavrov also denied reports that Hamas had opened an official office in Moscow.
29 sept 2017
Israel is “terrified” of Jeremy Corbyn becoming British prime minister and will do everything they can to stop him, a leading Israeli activist and writer told an audience of Labour party members on Monday.
Miko Peled, who has spoken around the world against Israel’s occupation, was speaking in Brighton during the Labour Party conference where Corbyn’s position has been strengthened following the 8 June election.
Peled said the Israelis “are terrified of the possibility of Jeremy Corbyn being prime minister. They are going to pull all the stops, they are going to smear, they are going to try anything they can to stop Corbyn from being prime minister."
He said it was up to Labour members to stop that happening. “Jeremy Corbyn is an opportunity for Britain that, if it gets lost, won’t come back for a very long time.”
The meeting exposed cracks within the ranks of Labour’s Jewish membership with one audience member calling for the Jewish Labour Movement, which has traditionally supported Israel, to be expelled from the party.
The meeting was organised by a rival group, Jewish Voice for Labour, which advocates Palestinian rights and supports the boycott campaign against Israel.
British-Palestinian barrister and campaigner Salma Karmi-Ayyoub warned the meeting that if what she described as the “New Anti-Semitism campaign” was successful, activists would not be able to criticise Israeli policies or demand Palestinian rights.
"The issue is that the Jewish state in the form that Israel is now is incompatible with Palestinian rights. That is just the reality. You can't have both."
Israel is using the anti-Semitism label to block all meaningful discussions on Palestine, she said. “I’ve been in a meeting with a spokesman for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs who said the [Palestinian] right of return is anti-Semitic,” she said.
“What Israel now faces as a result of its own expansion is a bi-national reality. It faces a choice of becoming an apartheid state or a state of all its citizens,” said Karmi-Ayyoub, who is co-chair of the British legal charity Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights.
Following his 2015 surprise election to the Labour leadership, Corbyn faced criticism over alleged anti-Semitism in the party and a commission was set up to investigate the claims, while a number of Labour members were suspended for alleged anti-Semitism.
"The reason anti-Semitism is used is because they [the Israelis] have no argument, there is nothing to say," said Peled. "How can a call for justice and tolerance be conflated with anti-Semitism? I don't know if they realise this but they are pitting Judaism against everything good and just."
Labour leaders have traditionally supported a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue, although there has been a push ahead of the conference for the party to take a more pro-Palestinian stance.
Peled has spoken around the world about his experience of growing up as the son of Israeli general and war hero Matti Peled, losing a niece to a Palestinian suicide bomber and his growing opposition to Israel’s occupation.
Corbyn has been an active supporter of Palestine Solidarity Campaign in the UK for many years, facing accusations that he supported Hamas during the 2017 general election campaign.
Peled, who lives in the US and recently published a book The General’s Son, said the Palestinian cause had received growing support in the US. “There have been enormous strides on this issue in the last five to six years.... I’m in Palestine a lot and I see the Israeli state collapsing from within.”
Miko Peled, who has spoken around the world against Israel’s occupation, was speaking in Brighton during the Labour Party conference where Corbyn’s position has been strengthened following the 8 June election.
Peled said the Israelis “are terrified of the possibility of Jeremy Corbyn being prime minister. They are going to pull all the stops, they are going to smear, they are going to try anything they can to stop Corbyn from being prime minister."
He said it was up to Labour members to stop that happening. “Jeremy Corbyn is an opportunity for Britain that, if it gets lost, won’t come back for a very long time.”
The meeting exposed cracks within the ranks of Labour’s Jewish membership with one audience member calling for the Jewish Labour Movement, which has traditionally supported Israel, to be expelled from the party.
The meeting was organised by a rival group, Jewish Voice for Labour, which advocates Palestinian rights and supports the boycott campaign against Israel.
British-Palestinian barrister and campaigner Salma Karmi-Ayyoub warned the meeting that if what she described as the “New Anti-Semitism campaign” was successful, activists would not be able to criticise Israeli policies or demand Palestinian rights.
"The issue is that the Jewish state in the form that Israel is now is incompatible with Palestinian rights. That is just the reality. You can't have both."
Israel is using the anti-Semitism label to block all meaningful discussions on Palestine, she said. “I’ve been in a meeting with a spokesman for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs who said the [Palestinian] right of return is anti-Semitic,” she said.
“What Israel now faces as a result of its own expansion is a bi-national reality. It faces a choice of becoming an apartheid state or a state of all its citizens,” said Karmi-Ayyoub, who is co-chair of the British legal charity Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights.
Following his 2015 surprise election to the Labour leadership, Corbyn faced criticism over alleged anti-Semitism in the party and a commission was set up to investigate the claims, while a number of Labour members were suspended for alleged anti-Semitism.
"The reason anti-Semitism is used is because they [the Israelis] have no argument, there is nothing to say," said Peled. "How can a call for justice and tolerance be conflated with anti-Semitism? I don't know if they realise this but they are pitting Judaism against everything good and just."
Labour leaders have traditionally supported a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue, although there has been a push ahead of the conference for the party to take a more pro-Palestinian stance.
Peled has spoken around the world about his experience of growing up as the son of Israeli general and war hero Matti Peled, losing a niece to a Palestinian suicide bomber and his growing opposition to Israel’s occupation.
Corbyn has been an active supporter of Palestine Solidarity Campaign in the UK for many years, facing accusations that he supported Hamas during the 2017 general election campaign.
Peled, who lives in the US and recently published a book The General’s Son, said the Palestinian cause had received growing support in the US. “There have been enormous strides on this issue in the last five to six years.... I’m in Palestine a lot and I see the Israeli state collapsing from within.”
by Yvonne Ridley, Days of Palestine
This has not been a good week for Israel, especially in Britain, where the Zionist lobbyists have spent millions in recent years oiling the cogs in Westminster to persuade politicians of all stripes to give their unconditional support to their favourite state.
It has worked rather well for them, with Labour Party leaders like Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband joining their counterparts in the Tory Party as “Friends of Israel” along with the majority of their ministers and shadow ministers.
However, after this week’s triumphant Labour Party conference in Brighton it looks as if the pro-Israel lobby has lost its grip on the party led by Jeremy Corbyn. If anyone had any doubt that the Zionist influence has all but gone, it was dispelled by the Labour leader’s speech.
“And let’s give real support to end the oppression of the Palestinian people, the 50-year occupation and illegal settlement expansion and move to a genuine two-state solution of the Israel-Palestine conflict,” Corbyn roared. “Britain’s voice needs to be heard independently in the world,” he added to cheers from around the conference hall. As if to reinforce that this was not some sentence thrown in at random, Corbyn fired a warning shot to Israel’s greatest friends in Washington for good measure: “We must be a candid friend to the United States, now more than ever.”
There was also a Corbyn broadside aimed at the President of the United States: “The values we share are not served by building walls, banning immigrants on the basis of religion, polluting the planet, or pandering to racism. And let me say frankly, the speech made by the US President to the United Nations last week was deeply disturbing. It threatened war and talked of tearing up international agreements. Devoid of concern for human rights or universal values, it was not the speech of a world leader.”
Clearly relishing his time in the spotlight, Corbyn rubbed salt into the wound. “Our government has a responsibility,” he pointed out. “It cannot meekly go along with this dangerous course. If the special relationship means anything, it must mean that we can say to Washington: that way is the wrong way. That’s clearly what’s needed in the case of Bombardier where thousands of jobs are now at stake. A Prime Minister betting our economic future on a deregulated trade deal with the US might want to explain how 220 per cent tariffs are going to boost our exports. So let Britain’s voice be heard loud and clear for peace, justice and cooperation.”
Corbyn’s message will be especially well-received in Northern Ireland, where 4,500 jobs are under threat after it emerged that a ruling on punitive tariffs by the US plunged the Canadian-owned Bombardier Inc. into crisis after threatening to make its key C Series jet all but unsellable.
It was sensational stuff. A shot in the arm for Palestine, a slap in the face to the US and lots of talk of peace and justice from a political leader who is no longer the butt of jokes or political satire. Like it or not, Labour is a party ready to take office; in a climate where Britain’s current Prime Minister is hanging on to her job by a thread, some political observers are already talking about “when” Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister, and not “if”.
One can only guess what Australian-born Mark Regev makes of it all. He might even tear down his anti-BDS war room charts in Israel’s London Embassy now and focus instead on how to stop Labour from forming the next British government. The Israeli Ambassador was left reeling after being snubbed publicly by Corbyn this week, so his aides could well have been reaching for the smelling salts when the Labour leader pledged to give “real support” to Palestine. To add to the ambassador’s misery, that particular comment brought the loudest cheers and applause from the audience.
Regev, clinging to the comfort blanket of victimhood that he keeps to hand in case of emergency, condemned what he alleged was “anti-Jewish bigotry” at the Labour conference after Jeremy Corbyn didn’t show up at a pro-Israel reception. He made his claim at a Labour Friends of Israel event, where those present shouted “where is he?” and “why isn’t he here?” when it was revealed that Mr Corbyn would not be appearing alongside the former spin-doctor who sought to justify the killing of children, women and men when he was Benjamin Netanyahu’s mouthpiece during successive Israeli military offensives against civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry told the pro-Israel gathering that the Labour leader was “not attending any of these receptions” on Tuesday night in order to prepare for his keynote conference speech on Wednesday. However, photographs later emerged showing that Corbyn had turned up at a Daily Mirror party, where shadow ministers were in karaoke mood.
“The Labour movement has a proud history of supporting Zionism,” said Regev. “So to those who called for the expulsion of Zionists from the Labour Party on Monday, I ask, would you have expelled some of Labour’s greatest luminaries too?” The ambassador was clearly rattled by the humiliating snub.
Thornberry insisted that Labour is “completely committed” to a two-state solution in the Middle East. She added, pointedly, that it is “completely inappropriate for those on the fringes of the Labour Party, on the fringes of this conference, to try to strangle that debate.” In a written statement to the pro-Israel reception, Corbyn said, “Labour will continue to campaign for peace through a two-state solution, a secure Israel alongside a secure and viable Palestinian state. I look forward to working with you all to achieve that together.”
The powerful leader of the Unite union, Len McCluskey, is a close ally of Corbyn. He claimed later that allegations of anti-Jewish sentiment within the party are “mood music” created by those wanting to “undermine” the Labour leader.
To add to the misery of Regev and his lobbyists, it was announced on Wednesday that Interpol is to admit Palestine as a member of the International Police Organisation, despite Israel’s strong opposition to the Palestinian Authority joining any international body, arguing that it is not a state. The last time that the PA applied to join Interpol was last year, in Indonesia, where Israel’s lobbying paid off when the application was rejected.
This time, though, the Zionist state hasn’t been so lucky, and the PA may well use its membership of Interpol to have “red notices” issued against senior Israeli officials, something that Israel dreads. Interpol itself doesn’t issue arrest warrants — its members do that — but a red notice is a trigger which would make overseas travel very difficult for those Israelis suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Benjamin Netanyahu cheered last year and gloated that his country’s diplomats had secured a major victory in denying the PA Interpol membership. What will he make of the announcement today? And, indeed, the news from the Labour Party conference? Alarm bells must be ringing.
Nevertheless, Regev and Netanyahu can at least reassure themselves that the pro-Israel lobby is alive and well within the ranks of Tory MPs, and no doubt Prime Minister Theresa May will reassure Tel Aviv of this during the Conservative Party conference next week. Such reassurances from a lame duck PM and a government declining in popularity, though, will be cold comfort to the wounded Israelis. Not only are they losing their friends in one party, but those in the other are losing their influence. Dark days ahead, then, which means a ray of hope for the beleaguered people of Palestine as the pro-Israel lobby loses its grip on Westminster.
Yvonne Ridley is an author, famous journalist and film-maker Yvonne is a committed peace activist, champion of civil liberties and advocate for women’s rights. She was on the first international flotilla to sail to Gaza in 2008.
Archive IMEMC post: 08/31/17 Murder Case of Cartoonist Naji al-Ali Reopened in UK
This has not been a good week for Israel, especially in Britain, where the Zionist lobbyists have spent millions in recent years oiling the cogs in Westminster to persuade politicians of all stripes to give their unconditional support to their favourite state.
It has worked rather well for them, with Labour Party leaders like Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband joining their counterparts in the Tory Party as “Friends of Israel” along with the majority of their ministers and shadow ministers.
However, after this week’s triumphant Labour Party conference in Brighton it looks as if the pro-Israel lobby has lost its grip on the party led by Jeremy Corbyn. If anyone had any doubt that the Zionist influence has all but gone, it was dispelled by the Labour leader’s speech.
“And let’s give real support to end the oppression of the Palestinian people, the 50-year occupation and illegal settlement expansion and move to a genuine two-state solution of the Israel-Palestine conflict,” Corbyn roared. “Britain’s voice needs to be heard independently in the world,” he added to cheers from around the conference hall. As if to reinforce that this was not some sentence thrown in at random, Corbyn fired a warning shot to Israel’s greatest friends in Washington for good measure: “We must be a candid friend to the United States, now more than ever.”
There was also a Corbyn broadside aimed at the President of the United States: “The values we share are not served by building walls, banning immigrants on the basis of religion, polluting the planet, or pandering to racism. And let me say frankly, the speech made by the US President to the United Nations last week was deeply disturbing. It threatened war and talked of tearing up international agreements. Devoid of concern for human rights or universal values, it was not the speech of a world leader.”
Clearly relishing his time in the spotlight, Corbyn rubbed salt into the wound. “Our government has a responsibility,” he pointed out. “It cannot meekly go along with this dangerous course. If the special relationship means anything, it must mean that we can say to Washington: that way is the wrong way. That’s clearly what’s needed in the case of Bombardier where thousands of jobs are now at stake. A Prime Minister betting our economic future on a deregulated trade deal with the US might want to explain how 220 per cent tariffs are going to boost our exports. So let Britain’s voice be heard loud and clear for peace, justice and cooperation.”
Corbyn’s message will be especially well-received in Northern Ireland, where 4,500 jobs are under threat after it emerged that a ruling on punitive tariffs by the US plunged the Canadian-owned Bombardier Inc. into crisis after threatening to make its key C Series jet all but unsellable.
It was sensational stuff. A shot in the arm for Palestine, a slap in the face to the US and lots of talk of peace and justice from a political leader who is no longer the butt of jokes or political satire. Like it or not, Labour is a party ready to take office; in a climate where Britain’s current Prime Minister is hanging on to her job by a thread, some political observers are already talking about “when” Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister, and not “if”.
One can only guess what Australian-born Mark Regev makes of it all. He might even tear down his anti-BDS war room charts in Israel’s London Embassy now and focus instead on how to stop Labour from forming the next British government. The Israeli Ambassador was left reeling after being snubbed publicly by Corbyn this week, so his aides could well have been reaching for the smelling salts when the Labour leader pledged to give “real support” to Palestine. To add to the ambassador’s misery, that particular comment brought the loudest cheers and applause from the audience.
Regev, clinging to the comfort blanket of victimhood that he keeps to hand in case of emergency, condemned what he alleged was “anti-Jewish bigotry” at the Labour conference after Jeremy Corbyn didn’t show up at a pro-Israel reception. He made his claim at a Labour Friends of Israel event, where those present shouted “where is he?” and “why isn’t he here?” when it was revealed that Mr Corbyn would not be appearing alongside the former spin-doctor who sought to justify the killing of children, women and men when he was Benjamin Netanyahu’s mouthpiece during successive Israeli military offensives against civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry told the pro-Israel gathering that the Labour leader was “not attending any of these receptions” on Tuesday night in order to prepare for his keynote conference speech on Wednesday. However, photographs later emerged showing that Corbyn had turned up at a Daily Mirror party, where shadow ministers were in karaoke mood.
“The Labour movement has a proud history of supporting Zionism,” said Regev. “So to those who called for the expulsion of Zionists from the Labour Party on Monday, I ask, would you have expelled some of Labour’s greatest luminaries too?” The ambassador was clearly rattled by the humiliating snub.
Thornberry insisted that Labour is “completely committed” to a two-state solution in the Middle East. She added, pointedly, that it is “completely inappropriate for those on the fringes of the Labour Party, on the fringes of this conference, to try to strangle that debate.” In a written statement to the pro-Israel reception, Corbyn said, “Labour will continue to campaign for peace through a two-state solution, a secure Israel alongside a secure and viable Palestinian state. I look forward to working with you all to achieve that together.”
The powerful leader of the Unite union, Len McCluskey, is a close ally of Corbyn. He claimed later that allegations of anti-Jewish sentiment within the party are “mood music” created by those wanting to “undermine” the Labour leader.
To add to the misery of Regev and his lobbyists, it was announced on Wednesday that Interpol is to admit Palestine as a member of the International Police Organisation, despite Israel’s strong opposition to the Palestinian Authority joining any international body, arguing that it is not a state. The last time that the PA applied to join Interpol was last year, in Indonesia, where Israel’s lobbying paid off when the application was rejected.
This time, though, the Zionist state hasn’t been so lucky, and the PA may well use its membership of Interpol to have “red notices” issued against senior Israeli officials, something that Israel dreads. Interpol itself doesn’t issue arrest warrants — its members do that — but a red notice is a trigger which would make overseas travel very difficult for those Israelis suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Benjamin Netanyahu cheered last year and gloated that his country’s diplomats had secured a major victory in denying the PA Interpol membership. What will he make of the announcement today? And, indeed, the news from the Labour Party conference? Alarm bells must be ringing.
Nevertheless, Regev and Netanyahu can at least reassure themselves that the pro-Israel lobby is alive and well within the ranks of Tory MPs, and no doubt Prime Minister Theresa May will reassure Tel Aviv of this during the Conservative Party conference next week. Such reassurances from a lame duck PM and a government declining in popularity, though, will be cold comfort to the wounded Israelis. Not only are they losing their friends in one party, but those in the other are losing their influence. Dark days ahead, then, which means a ray of hope for the beleaguered people of Palestine as the pro-Israel lobby loses its grip on Westminster.
Yvonne Ridley is an author, famous journalist and film-maker Yvonne is a committed peace activist, champion of civil liberties and advocate for women’s rights. She was on the first international flotilla to sail to Gaza in 2008.
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