Saturday 18 December 2010

Israel finds a friend in UKIP – mazel tov!

Shortly before being appointed the new (acting) UKIP FOI Press Officer, Jacob Campbell, expressed his support for the organisation on his personal blog which is reproduced here:

Israel has never been in greater need of friends than at the present time. Now, thanks to the efforts of a few dedicated members, it has found one in UKIP.

A lot has changed in British government since the days of Tony Blair’s noble and unwavering support for the beleaguered Jewish state. Now we have a Prime Minister who, despite being tragically identical to Blair in almost every respect, has decided that this is the one Blairite legacy that must be atoned for.

On a recent visit to Turkey (to support its bid for EU membership, no less), David Cameron tacitly condoned Hamas terrorism by describing the Gaza Strip as “a prison camp” – a claim as absurd as it was sycophantic.

On top of that we have a Foreign Secretary who, although notionally a ‘Conservative Friend of Israel’, refused to sack the British Ambassador to Lebanon for heaping praise on the leader of genocidal terror group Hezbollah. He is also an expounder of the bizarre charge that Israel acted “disproportionately” in its 2006 offensive against the same organisation – as if wars are ever fought and won by proportionality.

Of all the mainstream party leaders, only leader-to-be Nigel Farage has been outspoken in his support for Israel. In an interview last year with the Jewish Chronicle, he said: “There is a fundamental dislike of Israel, but it’s more than that. And we find that objectionable and worrying.”

In the same interview, he even went so far as to call this anti-Zionist fervour “almost a new trendy form of anti-Semitism.” Nigel is, as ever, spot on.

I, for one, would like to express my support for this new movement within the party, and to applaud the hard work of those involved in getting it off the ground. Israel and UKIP are, after all, united in the battle for national self-determination.

Sunday 12 December 2010

Message to Alex Stevenson

In response to Alex Stevenson's article " BNP rhetoric 'becoming like Ukip' ", I have sent him the following message:


I was greatly saddened to read in your article about how the BNP are trying to tone down their racism in order to gain more appeal to the British electorate. I have noticed that in Nick Griffin's TV appearances he has tended to focus more and more on the need to preserve "Britishness", and has avoided directly answering questions on race- he has even been heard in the media trying to defend Israel. I am deeply grateful to you for exposing the tactics of this sick man who has even published works denying the historical accuracy of mainstream holocaust study.

It does not surprise me Political Quarterly has found the BNP's language is beginning to sound similar to UKIP's. However, it is key people remember the vast difference between the two parties. UKIP is a fundamentally non-racist, liberal party binded squarely to the Enlightenment principles of equality for all people regardless of race or creed.

People should remember that the BNP does not want to be like UKIP. It is merely copying our political strategy which involves a expounding the need to protect the nation-state, a fundamental democratic principle developed by thinkers including John Stuart Mill. As an active member of the British Jewish community and Director of UKIP Friends of Israel (www.ukipfoi.co.uk) . I would just like to thank you for your article and I hope you will find my comments useful.

Sunday 14 November 2010

Alice Sommer Herz, World's Oldest Holocaust Survivor

I discovered this week that it will soon be the birthday of the world's oldest holocaust survivor Alice Sommer Herz. Alice currently lives in London where she practices playing the piano everyday, despite coming up to her 107th birthday.

You can send her birthday wishes to alice107bday@gmail.com .The messages are being compiled together by those around her.

A truly inspirational short video of Alice can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2ftYyo5zRc

It is very significant that Zionists remember the holocaust. This is because many of the enemies of Zionism, like President Ahmadinejad of Iran, argue that the holocaust never happend and that it was made up by the Jews in order to gain sympathy and establish their own country.

Julian, Director of UKIP FOI

Thursday 4 November 2010

Bill Clinton Remembers Yitzhak Rabin

The Herald Tribune features today an interesting piece about former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin by the former US president Bill Clinton. Clinton explores and appraises the work of Rabin. He also writes optimisticly of the current situation facing Israel:

"Israel has its best partner ever in the Palestinian government on the West Bank led by President Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, with its proven ability to provide security and economic development. The peace alliance put together by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia offers Israel full political recognition and the prospect of security and economic cooperation with a host of Arab and other Muslim nations in exchange for an agreement. And many Arab states are engaged in their own economic and social modernization efforts, which prove they are ready to let go of past differences and eager to reap the possibilities of cooperation with Israel."

The article can be read in full here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/opinion/04clinton.html?_r=1&ref=yitzhak_rabin

Thursday 30 September 2010

UKIP Friends of Israel takes off

The Society of UKIP Friends of Israel (FOI) group held its inaugural meeting at the party’s annual conference in Torquay (2-4 September).

The launch was marked by a UKIP FOI meeting on Friday 3rd September at which a talk was given by the director of public affairs at the Israeli embassy in London, Michael Brodsky. Bringing his chair forward and sitting among the delegates, he spoke of the strong friendship between our two countries and of the democracy which both our countries has had to fight to defend. He welcomed the formation of our new association as it joins the many other Friends of Israel groups which are strong in the UK.
He said he hoped to be able to welcome us when we visit his country which he hoped would be soon.

The talk was well attended by UKIP delegates who gave
Mr Brodsky a warm welcome, and stayed on after the meeting talking and asking him questions.

Throughout the conference there was a UKIP FOI stand outside the main auditorium displaying reading material donated by the Israeli Embassy and charitable organisations such as Christian Friends of Israel. The stand, which attracted a significant level of interest, also gave delegates the opportunity to sign-up to become members of UKIP FOI.




The decision to create the UKIP Friends of Israel group was authorised by the party’s National Executive Committee in 2005. UKIP FOI is committed to promoting contact and understanding between UKIP and Israel, in order to show solidarity, and to ensure that the party has a fully informed foreign policy.

Looking to the future, UKIP FOI intends to host an event in London early next year, and is developing plans for senior members of UKIP’s leadership to visit Israel



For further information contact:
ukipfriendsofisrael@gmail.com

or write to: Elizabeth Burton, The Church House, West Anstey, South Molton, EX36 3PE