Arab Spring Is Bad News for Israel

On Tuesday I attended a talk given by Professor Benny Morris at a House of Commons Select Committee Room. Benny Morris had been invited to speak by the Henry Jackson Society on the subject of the implications for Israel of the so-called’ Arab Spring’. Benny Morris is a leading Israeli historian and a Professor of Middle eastern History at Ben-Gurion University in Israel as well as the Kennedy-Leigh Fellow at the Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Oxford University. He has written a number of bestselling books and his articles have appeared in numerous newspapers and journals.

The Select Committee room hosting the event was dotted with MPs and Peers who had slipped into the event to hear Morris’s views on the escalating revolutionary situation in the Arab World.

Morris proposed two chief consequences of the Arab Spring for Israel, both negative. First, Israel would suffer as a result of international attention being directed away from Iran and towards the Arab world. Morris proposes that the particular form of Islam adopted by the Iranian leadership is so extreme that any success for Iran in achieving nuclear weapons would be absolutely fatal for Israel. If the West continue to concentrate on Libya, Syria and other such countries undergoing revolution and does not focus sufficiently on Iran, a nuclear war could be a serious possibility.

Second, Morris suggested that the Arab Spring will bring a more severe threat to the existence of Israel from the neighbouring Arab countries which undergo revolution. Although countries like Egypt and Syria appear to be under the influence of democratic transformers, the likelihood is that any elections will give new power to extremist groups, notably the Muslim Brotherhood. This is the umbrella organisation which is made up of groups such as Hamas, the internationally recognised terrorist organisation in control of the Gaza strip.

Thus, the Arab Spring poses two new severe threats to the existence of Israel. Morris did also highlight the need for Israel to be strong in offering a two-state solution and show the international community Israel wants peace.

However, for me at least, the fundamental conclusion of Morris’s speech must have been that the future of Israel depends upon Western intervention and pressure on the region to prevent the success of extremists, particularly in Iran, but also in the rest of the Arab world.

NUS President Right to Criticize Palestinian Policy

The president of the National Union of Students Aaron Porter should be applauded for speaking out against the new policy of the NUS to pursue "freedom for Palestine" and the end of the occupation of Gaza. Porter does not criticize some of the rather controversial ways in which the NUS intends to achieve its new policy, including sending members on a flotilla to Gaza in cooperation with pro-Hamas groups like Viva Palestina. Rather, he highlights the fact that the policy will have negative effects for Jewish students on campus. This is true.

The NUS leadership contains many individuals who support the policy and would consider themselves pro-Palestine activists. I do not necessarily criticize them for this position. Yet, the main reason that many, and it seems to me most students are interested in the NUS is because an NUS card gives you access to discounts at almost every high street shop. Nevertheless, the NUS is supposed to represent students and while it is fair enough to say most students are opposed to tuition fees, is it really fair to say that most students want Israel to immediately pull out of Gaza? Do most students have nearly enough education on the matter to make a fully informed decision?

It is likely that most students do not see the NUS as an organisation that would adopt such a highly controversial campaign. I fear students on campus will jump on board a “human rights campaign” which they really know little about but act on good faith that the NUS has adopted a sensible campaign which reflects the views of the majority of students. As a consequence anti-Zionist activism on campus will increase and this undoubtedly makes campus a more uncomfortable place for Jewish students to be.

However, there is an even more worrying way in which the NUS policy could influence the behaviour of students on campus. The NUS will be working with groups like the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and while they criticise Hamas, they are very happy to work with Viva Palestina who are pro-Hamas. It is inevitable NUS pro-Palestinian activists will come into contact with pro-Hamas groups and this will help to legitimise Hamas among students. I can think of little worse for Jewish students than Hamas leaders becoming the Che Guevaras of the Palestinian cause.

Hamas and Fatah Reconcilliation

Concerns must be growing in light of the developing pact between Hamas and Fatah. This will make the prospect of peace, and establishing a sovereign Palestinian land as difficult as ever. Hamas is an extremist organisation, a wing of the Islamic Brotherhood and crucially does not recognise Israel's right to exist. This is a step backwards for the Palestinian authority.

Jewish Council Candidates Defect to UKIP

The UK's biggest Jewish newspaper, the Jewish Chronicle is reporting that 3 Jewish candidates in Bury's local elections to be held on May 5th have defected from the Conservative Party to UKIP

This comes as very welcome news to those of us in UKIP who know about the strong link which is growing between UKIP and the Jewish community of Britain.

Former Bury Conservative Councillor Peter Redstone expressed his grievences over the council's reluctance to fly the Israeli flag on Israel Independence day despite willing to make similar gestures for other religious/cultural communities. This is typical of the double-standard "multi-cultural" society in which we are now living under the Tories where it is now the norm to give Zionists special treatment.

UKIP Friends of Israel hopes that the defecting candidates will get involved with UKIP FOI and help us to stand-strong against ill-treatment of the Zionist community of Britain . UKIP continues to expose anti-Zionism and anti-Semetism in the EU institutions.

Labour MP in the House of Commons: “Here we are, the Jews Again”

Labour MP Sir Gerard Kaufman commented “Here we are, the Jews again” when Louise Ellman MP began to speak during a debate on the Police reform and Social Responsibility Bill. Both MPs are Jewish and Mrs Ellman has reported the remark and made a formal complaint to the Labour Party.

The comment came as Mrs Ellman stood up to intervene during a speech by Labour's Ann Clwyd criticising the government for allegedly being persuaded by the Zionist lobby to change the law to make it easier for Israeli politicians to visit the UK. Former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was faced with an arrest warrant during a visit to the UK in December 2009. It was withdrawn after she cancelled her visit.

It is well known that many modern day anti-Semites hide behind the cloak of calling themselves anti-Zionist. What is perverse is that now even a Jewish person will use language which conflates the two stances. It would be unthinkable in the past for a Jewish, British MP to use language of such an obvious anti-Semitic nature.

A family slaughtered in Israel – doesn't the BBC care?

Tory Mp, Louise Bagshawe exposes the BBC for reporting so little about the slaughter of an Israeli family. Further evidence of the BBC anti-Zionist bias. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8402973/A-family-slaughtered-in-Israel-doesnt-the-BBC-care.html

Egyptian Uprising- good for Israel?

Unusually, Israelis and pro-Israel Americans are split over the events taking place in Egypt. This fascinating article in The Washington Post examines the two sides.