UK - Influence of Pro-Israel lobby groups

Went to #auspol to check out tweets.

Scrolling through, find this:

Over 50% of British Gvt MPs are on Israeli payroll Guardian reports. Is Ausn gvt pro-Israel for $? http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/nov/16/pro-israel-lobby-conservatives-channel4-dispatches … #auspol @Chara_fc

Via Twitter Guardian Article Pro-Israel lobby group bankrolling Tories, film claims 50% of MPs in the shadow cabinet are Conservative Friends of Israel members, according to Channel 4's Dispatches Ian Black, Middle East editor The Guardian, Monday 16 November 2009 Pro-Israeli organisations in Britain look set to see their influence increase if the Conservatives win the next election, a film scrutinising the activities of a powerful but little-known lobby warns today. At least half of the shadow cabinet are members of the Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI), according to a Dispatches programme being screened on Channel 4. The programme-makers describe the CFI as "beyond doubt the most well- connected and probably the best funded of all Westminster lobbying groups". Inside Britain's Israel Lobby claims that donations to the Conservative party "from all CFI members and their businesses add up to well over £10m over the last eight years". CFI has disputed the figure and called the film "deeply flawed". The programme also describes how David Cameron allegedly accepted a £15,000 donation from Poju Zabludowicz, a Finnish billionaire who chairs Bicom (the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre). Zabludowizc, the film reveals, has business interests in an illegal West Bank settlement. He also gave £50,000 to Conservative Central Office. Zabludowicz says his contributions "are a matter of public record". William Hague allegedly accepted personal donations from CFI board members totalling tens of thousands of pounds after being appointed shadow foreign secretary. More than £30,000 from CFI supporters went to the campaign funds of members of Cameron's team who were first elected in 2005, the film claims, using publicly available information. The programme-makers say that while this is legal, it is not well-known. The CFI director, Stuart Polak, told the Guardian the figure of more than £10m is not supported by any facts. "It is fictitious, misleading and damaging to the reputation of CFI and its supporters," he said. "CFI as an organisation has donated only £30,000 since 2005. Each of these donations has been made transparently and publicly registered. In addition to this £30,000, it is undoubtedly the case that some of our supporters have also chosen, separately, to donate to the party as individuals." Two years ago a controversial study by American academics Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer explored the influence of the Israel lobby over US foreign policy. But Britain's pro-Israel organisations have been subjected to far less scrutiny. ... rest of article @ source: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/nov/16/pro-israel-lobby-conservatives-channel4-dispatches

I'm guessing that where you have well organised lobby groups, there is undoubtedly some level of influence.

John Prescott - Accused of Trivialising Holocaust

Telegraph Article

Accused of Trivialising Holocaust
 

Lord Prescott, the former Deputy Prime Minister, has been rebuked by the most senior body representing British Jews after likening Gaza to a concentration camp.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the comparison, made in the Labour peer’s Sunday newspaper column, was “deeply offensive” and “trivialised the Holocaust.”

It warned that “playing the Nazi card” in relation to Israel “scratches deep wounds by invoking painful collective memory of the Holocaust.”

The Board called on Lord Bassam, the Labour chief whip in the Lords, to initiate misconduct proceedings against Lord Prescott.

It comes as a three-day ceasefire begins in Gaza following an intensive bombardment by Israeli armed forces.

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Extract only

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/11005105/Lord-Prescott-accused-of-trivialising-Holocaust-over-Gaza-remarks.htm

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John Prescott.  Working class.  Former trade unionist.  Deputy Prime Minister under Tony Blair.  Labour politician.  

Board of Deputies of British Jews

Main representative body of British Jews (aka Anglo-Jews), established 1760 by Sephardi congregation (Spain & Portugal origins) to deal with urgent political matters and interests of Jews in Britain and in colonies.

Main reference point for government, media and others.  

Board affiliated with:  "World Jewish Congress (WJC), the world-wide umbrella organisation of Jewish communities".

Former Lord Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, had a spot of bother with the BDBJ over some remark made to a journalist.  Livingstone's another Labour politician, who sounds a bit of a maverick.  

What's interesting is that there appears to be some division within the Jewish community:

"On 5 February 2007, a group of prominent British Jews, such as Nobel laureate Harold Pinter and lawyer Sir Geoffrey Bindman, launched an organisation called Independent Jewish Voices to counterbalance what they perceive as uncritical support of Israel by major Jewish institutions in the UK, criticising particularly the Board of Deputies of British Jews."

[source:  wikipedia]

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Protection of the 'deeply offended' vs freedom of thought and freedom speech?

Should be interesting to see what transpires.