Campaigners fight power of Israel lobby in UK
Sleaze committee infiltrated by “Friends of Israel” refuses to investigate
Campaigners won’t take “no” for an answer
22 January 2008
A UK group has vowed to continue the fight against the corrupting
influence of Israel lobby
groups on the British government after Parliament’s sleaze watchdog, the
Committee on Standards
in Public Life, which is itself infiltrated by Israel apologists, turned
down their request to
investigate the influence of Israel lobbies on government.
The British Parliament’s sleaze watchdog, the Committee on Standards in
Public Life, has
initially turned down a request by a group of 20 top academics, surgeons
and others to
investigate the influence of Israel lobby groups like Friends of Israel at
the heart of British
government.
The submission, addressed to the committee's new chairman, Sir Christopher
Kelly, was rejected
in a note from office staff on the grounds that it was "a matter of
general policy for others".
An administrator admitted that the remit of the body she suggested (the
Parliamentary
Commissioner for Standards) did not fit the cir***stances.
The three main political parties in the UK each has a “Friends of Israel”
lobby group that
ensures pro-Israel members are embedded at all key levels in Parliament
and government. For
example, the Foreign Office minister responsible for the Middle East is a
former chairman of
Labour Friends of Israel. His opposition “shadow” is a member of
Conservative Friends of
Israel. Campaigners argue that these lobby placemen inhibit the government
when it comes to
taking a principled stand on issues such as Israel's murderous and
unlawful blockade of Gaza,
which is costing the lives of many innocent civilians and children and
doing irreparable damage
to Gaza's economy.
The group is adamant that the Israel lobby falls squarely within the
Standards Committee’s remit.
The man in the street is entitled to look at the Seven Principles of
Public Life and say that
the activities of lobbies like Friends of Israel are against the
intentions, both in word and
spirit, of those principles. Otherwise what is the purpose of having them
enshrined in the
Committee's constitution?
They have pushed it back to Sir Christopher insisting that the case be put
before the committee
for proper consideration.
The claim of undue influence is causing embarrassment in Westminster
because the watchdog
committee has itself been infiltrated by Friends of Israel. The pro-lobby
media are already
disturbed. The Jewish Chronicle, for example, re****ts a "smear" on Isreal
lobby MPs, one of
whom suggests that if the committee fails to investigate it might be
accused of being part of a
Jewish conspiracy. The director of Conservative Friends of Israel, a
would-be MP, confidently
predicts there will be no investigation, his cocksure posture leading one
to suppose that he
and his like are a protected species within the Westminster village.
The shadow secretary of state for defence, Dr Liam Fox, makes the group's
case for them. He is
quoted on the Conservative Friends of Israel website as saying:
"...We must remember that in the battle for the values that we stand for,
for democracy against
theocracy, for democratic liberal values against repression – Israel’s
enemies are our enemies
and this is a battle in which we all stand together or we will all fall
divided.
The spokesman for the anti-lobby group is David Halpin, a trauma surgeon
who last year led a
team of seven UK doctors to Gaza. He said:
Dr Fox presumably speaks for all Friends of Israel in the party that hopes
to form the next
government. He would have Parliament and the public believe that Israel's
enemy, Iran, must
become Britain's enemy. Such dangerous and irresponsible nonsense could
lead this country to
disaster.
Claims that the Israel lobby’s activities are transparent are untrue since
seldom, if ever, do
its members declare an interest when speaking or writing about the Middle
East. That is
unacceptable in the “Mother of Parliaments”.
Stuart Littlewood, who was in Gaza two months ago, said:
The Israel lobby has penetrated so deeply into government, including the
Standards Committee
itself, that they are desperate to keep this off the agenda. I am
disgusted at my government's
failure to respond honourably to the great human suffering in Gaza under
Israel's siege, which
is made to bite even deeper with a nod and a wink from the US and Britain.
What sort of people
are they?
The group says that the British people should not have to tolerate dual
allegiance in their
Parliament and government, since obviously it puts national security at
risk. They quote one
peer who wrote:
I ask over and over again why Israel is allowed to get away with breaking
international law and
the answer is silence from the government… [T]hey are afraid of the Israel
lobby who label
anyone who speaks out as anti-Semitic and withdraw their sup****t.
Signatories include David Halpin, Stu Littlewood, Felicity Arbuthnot and
Mary Bedforth.
Note
The Seven Principles of Public Life
The Standards Committee has set out “Seven Principles of Public Life”
which it believes should
apply to all in the public service. These are:
Selflessness
Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public
interest. They should not do
so in order to gain financial or other benefits for themselves, their
family or their friends.
Integrity
Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial
or other obligation to
outside individuals or organizations that might seek to influence them in
the performance of
their official duties.
Objectivity
In carrying out public business, including making public appointments,
awarding contracts, or
recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public
office should make choices
on merit.
Accountability
Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions
to the public and must
submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.
Openness
Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the
decisions and actions that
they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict
information only when the
wider public interest clearly demands.
Honesty
Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests
relating to their public
duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that
protects the public
interest.
Leader****p
Holders of public office should promote and sup****t these principles by
leader****p and example.
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