ZF STATEMENT ON MURDER OF THREE ISRAELI TEENS

The ZF would like to join Israel and the world-wide Jewish family in expressing our heart-break and anguish at the news that the bodies of Eyal Yifrach, Gil-ad Shaar and Naftali Fraenkel have been found. Like everyone in our community, we had hoped and prayed that the three teenagers would be returned safe and sound to their families. Tragically, we know now that this was never to be.

We welcome David Cameron’s swift and accurate description of the murders as an “appalling and inexcusable act of terror.” We hope that he will make good on his promise to “stand with Israel as it seeks to bring to justice those responsible.” Specifically, he should unequivocally condemn the Unity Government between Fatah and Hamas, which bears responsibility for this barbaric act. The Department for International Development must also seriously consider withholding funding to the Palestinian Authority until it agrees to cancel the policy of automatically putting such murderers on its payroll if and when they are found and convicted.

Alan Aziz, ZF Director, commented:

“There are no words to describe the anguish that the families of Eyal Yifrach, Gil-ad Shaar and Naftali Fraenkel must be feeling. For the last few weeks, we have seen the global Jewish community come together to raise the plight of the missing teens, and we must remain united in our fight against the terrorism that targets our children. Mahmoud Abbas should now both sever ties with Hamas and strike off the legislation that would otherwise automatically make these vicious murderers salaried members of the Palestinian civil service. Unless he is willing to do this, David Cameron must cease using UK taxpayer money to fund a government that is clearly opposed to peace.”

ZF CALLS ON NETANYAHU TO RESOLVE LABOUR DISPUTE WITH MFA

The ZF this week called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to re-double his efforts to find a satisfactory conclusion to the current labour dispute with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). In an open letter to the PM, the ZF cites the “tireless work” of the Israeli Embassy in the UK, work which is “crucial” for the promotion and defence of the Jewish state in one of the most influential arenas in the world.

The letter is co-signed by a variety of groups and individuals, including Christian Friends of Israel and Lord Palmer of Childs Hill, who describe themselves as being “proud and privileged” to work alongside the diplomats in the Embassy, including in “vital” outreach to numerous cultural and political groups.

ZF Chairman Paul Charney also criticised those organisations that had failed to co-sign the letter:

“At a time when the delegitimisation campaign poses an increasing threat not just to Israel but to the Diaspora, it’s a real shame that community organisations are unwilling to back this letter, which endorses the tremendous work the embassy does. All of these organisations state they support Israel, and many argue that they should still be free to critique the actions of the Israeli government – backing this letter would give them the perfect opportunity to do both.”

The full text of the letter, alongside co-signers, is below.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

As organisations and individuals committed to working to advance the interests and understanding of Israel here in the United Kingdom, we are writing to convey the importance of the work of the Israeli Embassy and its diplomats here in Britain.

As you will be aware, the United Kingdom is an important arena for Israel. As a member of the Security Council, NATO, the G8 and other international bodies, it is of key strategic importance, while as Israel's second largest trading partner it carries considerable economic weight. Moreover, with BBC and other world media based in London, it has a disproportionate impact on the perception of Israel and the Middle East throughout the world.

In all these fields, the tireless work of Israel's diplomats is absolutely crucial to protecting and advancing the cause of Israel. We are proud and privileged to work alongside them and to witness their tireless commitment to representing Israel in every arena, from briefing the country's most influential leadership and appearing on the media, to travelling the length and breadth of Britain to speak at often hostile university campuses, union meetings and faith and cultural groups. We have also been pleased to partner with them in important outreach programs increasing understanding of Israel through culture, innovation, and education.

Without wishing to become involved in internal labour disputes, we consider it important that you know what vital work Israel's representatives are doing on a daily basis. We urge you to use all your efforts to ensure that this crucial work can continue.

Respectfully,

ZF UK

West Midlands Friends of Israel. Bridges for Peace in the UK

ZCC Manchester

Lord Palmer of Childs Hill

Christian Friends of Israel

Wizo UK

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem - UK

Liverpool Israel support Team

The Israel Salon network for young Israelis in the UK

The Congregation of United Synagogues

Habonim Dror UK

ZF STATEMENT ON UNESCO’S CANCELLATION OF EXHIBIT DETAILING HISTORY OF ISRAEL

The ZF today slammed the decision by UNESCO to cancel a scheduled exhibition on the historic connection between Israel and the Jewish nation as a ‘dismal capitulation.’ The exhibition, titled “The People, the Book, the Land — 3,500 years of ties between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel,” was, after several years of preparation and research by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, scheduled to open this week – until it was shelved at the behest of the 22 members of the Arab Group.

ZF chairman Paul Charney elaborates

“The decision by UNESCO – a body that purports to be concerned with educational, scientific and cultural matters – to cancel the exhibition is both a dismal capitulation and nakedly political. To shelve an exhibition after invites have been sent out is grossly insulting to all those who spent years preparing it. But the reason, and reasoning, behind the shelving goes beyond bad manners. It provides us with a microcosm of the Israeli-Arab conflict. The official explanation given was that the Arab members were concerned that the subject matter might harm the chance of a successful outcome to the current peace talks. The opposite is true – the acceptance by Palestinians and the Arab world in general that Israel is not a foreign body, but the legitimate expression of the Jewish nation’s longstanding connection to the land of Israel, is crucial to peace. But instead of defending its principles, the UN is once again paralysed between those unwilling to stand up for Israel in case they rock the boat, and those that just want to throw Israel off the boat altogether. It’s particularly striking given that the UN has just declared 2014 a year of solidarity with the Palestinians – with nary a word about the risk of partiality."

ZF COMMEMORATES PASSING OF ARIEL SHARON 1928-2014

The ZF joins Israel in commemorating the memory of Ariel Sharon, her former Prime Minister, who passed away this weekend at the age of 85. Described by Ben Gurion as ‘the greatest field commander,’ nicknamed in the Knesset as ‘the bulldozer,’ and perhaps best defined by the title of his autobiography, ‘Warrior,’ Sharon was an indomitable force both on and off the battlefield. Born in the yishuv of Mandate-era Palestine in 1928, the chronology of his achievements is in many ways the history of Israel and the defence of the Jewish national home.

From engineering Israel’s lightning victory in the Six Day War, to turning the tide during the Yom Kippur War, to overseeing the security measures against the Second Intifada, Sharon earned a reputation as a bold and brilliant strategic mind, willing to make tough decisions when the fledgling country could not afford the luxury of failure. His time as a politician was no less noteworthy, with his unilateral disengagement from Gaza showcasing his ability to pursue a resolution to conflict, even in the absence of a viable peace partner.

Paul Charney, ZF Chairman:

“All Israelis and Zionists owe Ariel Sharon a huge debt. The history of his life is an effective reminder that the struggle for Zionism - a national home for the Jewish people - was not completed in 1948 with the establishment of the state of Israel. Instead, it required the ingenuity of military leaders like Sharon, as well as the staunch courage and commitment of Israelis soldiers, to defend the state from the threats ranged against her, from massed Arab armies on her borders, to Palestinian terrorists targeting her civilians. While both his military and political careers aroused controversy and prompted criticism from the left and right of the political spectrum, the legacy of Ariel Sharon will remain his single-minded yet pragmatic commitment to the survival of Israel.”

ZF STATEMENT ON THE QUENELLE

From Paul Charney, ZF Chairman:                                                                             

“There should be no question that the quenelle is a symbol of pure hatred against the Jewish people. It was invented and popularised by a man, Dieudonné M’bala M’bala, whose entire raison d'être appears to consist of ridiculing and denigrating the memory of the 6 million Jewish men, women, and children murdered during the Holocaust. Its design as an inverted fascist salute enables its supporters to indulge themselves in the sickening thrill of publicly mocking the historic persecution of Jews, albeit in the most cowardly way imaginable. And of course, the defence that the symbol is merely against ‘the system’ or ‘the establishment’ is no defence either, since it implicitly promotes the idea that Jews are intrinsically part of whatever political order is being challenged at the time, therefore propagating the anti-Semitic myth of Jewish global domination.”

ZF CONDEMNS BBC COMEDY SKETCH

The ZF condemns the BBC for broadcasting a sketch that not only propogates the oldest and most baseless stereotypes about Israelis, but also ridicules anti-Semitism at a time when anti-Jewish bigotry is on the rise.

BBC 3’s ‘The Revolution Will Be Televised’ programme, broadcast in December, included a candid camera sketch where the presenters dress up as workmen and pretend to be representatives for the Israeli Embassy. The presenters then begin informing local property owners that the embassy is taking their land for a variety of spurious reasons – mocking Israel for its supposedly expansionist policies.

The satirical explanations given to the members of the public perpetrate the oldest stereotypes about Israel’s alleged attempts to justify its supposedly illegitimate presence in the Middle East: “Before it was your land it was our land, so we are really going to take what was rightfully ours,” “This is our land that was given to us by the Almighty,” and “We’ve been doing it for years.”

Given that such one-sided and prejudiced portrayals of Israel contribute to anti-Jewish bigotry, perhaps the most shocking aspect of the programme is the open ridiculing of complaints about anti-Semitism. When one member of the public expresses amusement at the situation, a presenter tells him: “I’m finding that smile a bit anti-Semitic… so I think you should really wipe it off your face” - suggesting that anti-Semitism is not a valid concern. It is hard to imagine that the BBC would allow racism against another minority group to treated in this way.

ZF Chairman Paul Charney added:

“No doubt the makers of ‘The Revolution Will be Televised” thought they were being tremendously edgy and brave, mocking Israel by suggesting it takes land with impunity. Instead, they simply pandered to the prejudices of those who believe that the less-than-one-percent of the Middle East which is devoted to Jewish national self-determination is still too much.

“This biased viewpoint would be woefully inaccurate at the best of times, but it seems especially egregious given that Israel is not only currently negotiating with the express desire of ceding land to the Palestinians, but continues to release convicted murderers just to keep them at the negotiating table. But I’m sure the makers of this programme will turn their sights on Israel ’s neighbours soon enough. The PA’s glorification of terrorists? The collapse of democracy in Egypt ? Syria ’s civil war? Or maybe the lack of human rights in the rest of the Middle East just isn’t that much of a laughing matter?”

STATEMENT ON THE IRANIAN NUCLEAR DEAL

The ZF today expresses its gravest reservations about the Iranian nuclear deal recently struck in Geneva . The deal, brokered on behalf of the P5+1 countries, has been widely hailed as a major breakthrough in the long-running standoff over Iran ’s nuclear programme. However, by offering to reduce the level of sanctions without gaining corresponding cast-iron guarantees that the nuclear programme is only intended for civilian usage, the international community has let Iran off the hook. Apparently desperate to believe in the moderation of Hassan Rouhani, Western negotiators have now eased the pressure on a regime that has a track record of duplicity and misdirection, is currently knee-deep in Syrian blood, and might well soon trigger a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region on the planet.

Failure to dismantle the infrastructure for war

The main problem of the negotiations is the failure to address Iranian facilities that are clearly designed for the development of nuclear weapons. Under the Geneva deal, Tehran will be allowed to keep both its heavy water reactor in Arak and thousands of centrifuges – key elements for military, not civilian, nuclear production.

The threat of duplicity

The Iranian regime has a track record of duplicity over its nuclear programme, and there is a very real threat that the easing of sanctions will provide it with the cover it needs to complete a nuclear weapon. Iran could easily follow in the footsteps of North Korea , surreptitiously continuing its programme until it had reached the point of no return.

The reality of the Ayatollah’s regime

Despite the charm offensive of Hassan Rouhani, Iran is still the same state it has been since 1979– a reactionary, messianic theocracy under the total control of the Ayatollahs. This Islamist regime shares the ideology of the radical extremists who commit terrorist atrocities across the globe, and has no regard for democracy or human rights. Those seeking proof of the reality of Tehran ’s ambitions and ruthlessness should look no further than Syria , where Iranian expertise, weapons and soldiers have played a central role in the brutal massacring of the civilian population.

The catastrophic implications of a nuclear bomb

There must be no misunderstanding the seriousness of Iran procuring a nuclear weapon. Should this worst-case scenario occur, it would most likely trigger an arms race in the Middle East . The nuclear brinksmanship between the US and the Soviet Union was arguably the most dangerous period in humanity’s history; for it to be repeated in this volatile and unstable part of the world would be a global catastrophe. Additionally, a nuclear Tehran represents a unique threat to Israel , given the frequent and shameless calls for the annihilation of the Jewish state made by the Iranian leadership.

LATEST BDS FAIL: PRO-PALESTINIAN WEBSITES RELY ON ISRAELI TECH

The ZF today highlighted the latest example of a BDS fail, in which extreme pro-Palestinian activists who claim to support Boycotts, Sanctions and Divestment against Israel fail to practice what they preach. The most recent stumbling block for those committed to singling out the Jewish state is how to make an anti-Israel website without using Israeli technology.

 

For example, the website of the Cornell University branch of ‘Students for Justice in Palestine’ explains that the group’s campaigns include boycotting skincare products, soft drink manufacturers, and even hummus. Or the ‘Palestinian Holocaust Museum’ website, which presumably is opposed to any recognition of Israel since it promotes the baseless assertion that Zionists have committed genocide against the Palestinians.

 

What do these two websites have in common? They were both constructed using Wix: an Israeli website-building programme, based in (where else?) Tel Aviv.

 

Paul Charney, ZF chairman said:

 

“The misguided BDS campaign to ostracise Israel has hit another snag, as yet again rabid pro-Palestinians find that living without the benefits of the Start-Up Nation might not be as easy as they’d hoped. Supporters of peace should be pleased, since boycotting Israel does nothing to help the two sides reconcile.”

AL JAZEERA FOCUSES ON FAMILY OF HAMAS MASS-MURDERER

• News report critical of visitation rights for families of Palestinian prisoners
• Story focuses on family of Abdullah Barghouti, Hamas bomb-maker
• No information provided about Barghouti’s involvement in terrorism

The ZF today condemned an Al Jazeera story as a ‘failure of basic journalistic integrity.’ “Children visit jailed Palestinian relatives” focuses on the experience of the family of one Abdullah Barghouti, serving time in an Israeli jail. The audience is encouraged to sympathise with the young girls who make the hours-long journey from Ramallah to visit their father, with the programme noting how exhausting these ‘special occasions’ are. The news story uses the girls as an example of Palestinian families whose children have to travel alone because their adult relatives are denied access into Israel. Faeda al Barghouti, the wife of Abdullah, complains that she herself is banned from visiting her husband, and has only seen him twice in the last decade. She describes how she has been ‘refused security clearance’, but that no reason has been given for this. Since the only information the audience receives about Abdullah Barghouti is that he is serving 67 life sentences, the inference from the report is that Israel deliberately and arbitrarily denies family visits, feeding into the standard narrative of unjust treatment of Palestinians.

Abdullah Barghouti is in fact one of the most senior Hamas figures held by Israel. He was sentenced due to his role in constructing the bombs used in multiple suicide attacks on civilian targets, responsible for the deaths of 66 Israelis and the wounding of over 500. The victims of these attacks, such as the Sbarro massacre at a Jerusalem restaurant, included children and pregnant women; nonetheless, Barghouti remains unrepentant to this day, and has stated that if released he would continue to be actively involved in such acts of terrorism. None of this is mentioned in the report.

Paul Charney, ZF chairman, commented:

“Al Jazeera’s story on the family of Abdullah Barghouti represents a failure of basic journalistic integrity. Surely any discussion of the security concerns surrounding a prisoner must explain what they have been imprisoned for? Instead, Al Jazeera deliberately omitted any information about Barghouti except for his prison sentence – perhaps in order to imply that Israel simply hands out lengthy imprisonments for no good reason to Palestinians.  This omission suggests two points. Firstly, that Al Jazeera recognised that to mention Barghouti’s history would undermine the entire point of their piece – indeed, many viewers might be surprised by how many rights even an unrepentant murderer of civilians gets. And secondly, this means that Al Jazeera were more interested in producing a cheap smear of Israel than actually reporting on the situation.”

ZF EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER COMMENTS BY JACK STRAW MP

The ZF today expressed its deep concern over comments made by Jack Straw, Labour MP for Blackburn. Straw, who was previously Foreign Secretary, stated during a meeting in the House of Commons that the “unlimited” funds of Jewish organisations, supposedly used to control American foreign policy, are one of the biggest obstacles to peace in the Middle East.

ZF Chairman Paul Charney argues that:

“Mr Straw’s comments echo some of the oldest and ugliest prejudices about ‘Jewish power’, and go far beyond mere criticism of Israel. They would be unacceptable in any context, but for a sitting Member of Parliament to do so in the House of Commons is especially troubling, given that his status will give credence and respectability to beliefs that would otherwise be dismissed as bigoted nonsense.

“That the statements he made are woefully untrue should be obvious given a moment’s thought about the current state of the Middle East. It has only been through the applied pressure of the American government that Israelis and Palestinians have finally been brought back to the negotiating table. Despite several arguably more pressing concerns, such as instability in Egypt and the civil war in Syria, the US has remained resolute in its commitment to a peaceful resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict – a resolution which is supported, not opposed, by the organisations he chose to smear.”

ZF CALLS FOR THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF HAMAS TUNNEL

The ZF is calling for wider recognition of the implications of the newly-discovered tunnel running from Gaza into Israel. The tunnel, which was built by Hamas, was reinforced with concrete and reportedly 2 and half kilometres long. It’s most likely purpose was to facilitate the kidnapping of Israelis, as suggested by the subsequent statement by a senior Hamas figure:

“The tunnel which was revealed was extremely costly in terms of money, effort and blood. All of this is meaningless when it comes to freeing our heroic prisoners. It would not have been possible to free hundreds of our prisoners without the [Gilad] Shalit tunnel.”

ZF Chairman, Paul Charney, explained the significance:

“Any time there is condemnation of the Gaza blockade, the critics of Israel need to acknowledge that this is the reason why goods cannot be allowed to pass freely into the area. This is the true face of Hamas – an organisation that cares more about kidnapping Israelis than looking after Palestinians. Israel has no interest in denying ordinary Gazans access to everyday materials, which is why it maintains a dedicated border crossing for this purpose. But those who ceaselessly demand that the blockade be dropped altogether must answer how else Israel is supposed to defend its citizens.”

This is especially relevant given that kidnapping attempts by Islamic extremists often prompt fresh bouts of violence. Paul Charney explains:

“Pro-Palestinian supporters should be the first to thank the Israel Defence Forces for uncovering this tunnel, thereby avoiding a terrorist attack and any subsequent response.  Attempts by Hamas to kill, kidnap or otherwise harm Israelis frequently trigger escalations, causing hardship and suffering on both sides. Let’s see if any of them are willing to condemn the construction of this tunnel by Hamas, or if they’ll maintain their silence over its actions as they always do.”

ZF BRIEFING IN BRIGHTON WITH HILIK BAR MK

The ZF hosted a breakfast meeting this morning with Hilik Bar, MK, who was in the country for the Labour Party Conference 

The event, in association with the Sussex Jewish Rep council, was attended by 30 people including ZF patrons, leaders of the Jewish and Christian communities, and Israeli activists.

Hilik, who at 38 is one of the youngest MKs, is a Member of Knesset for the Israel Labour Party, the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, and the Secretary General of the Labor Party – the youngest person ever to have held the position. Bar has played a crucial role in leading the rehabilitation of the Israeli Labor Party.

He briefed the audience on a number of issues, including the current status of the peace talks. Bar, who is the chair of the Caucus for Ending the Israeli-Arab Conflict, described how in the Knesset today there is a clear majority of MKs (70 out of 120) who favour a two state solution.

Bar also argued that, although Aliya is important and should be encouraged, Israel will always need its Diaspora Jewish communities.

Alan Aziz said that the ZF is extremely proud to have been able to host as high-calibre a speaker as Hilik Bar, who is as passionate an advocate for Israel as he is for peace, and delighted to be able to reach out to different communities and activists across the UK in order to inform and empower those who care deeply about Israel.

ZF CONDEMNS INFLAMMATORY CAMPAIGN BY MAP

The Zionist Federation today condemned in the strongest terms the latest campaign by Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). The campaign, which debuted in Oxford and Islington this week, focuses on the negative impact of security precautions on Palestinian patients seeking to enter Israel for medical treatment, without providing any necessary context, or mentioning that thousands are admitted every year. The subject of Palestinian violence is wholly absent from MAP’s campaign, giving an incomplete picture as to why Israel maintains security checkpoints, or refuses to grant a minority of Palestinians permits to enter from Gaza and the West Bank. Instead, leaflets, mobile billboards and full-page adverts in papers used emotive imagery and highly selective information to suggest that Israel is deliberately and maliciously trying to prevent Palestinians gaining access to adequate medical support. The truth is the exact opposite, as Paul Charney, ZF Chairman, explained:

“I’m sure many people would be surprised to learn that, despite their history of conflict, thousands of Palestinians travel into Israel every year in order to receive medical treatment. Whilst fringe activists abroad like to demonise Israel for being somehow “racist”, Palestinians in the region know the reality: in Israel they will be treated just like any other patient, irrespective of political differences. Only last year, for example, the brother-in-law of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was one of the many admitted from Gaza for emergency surgery – despite Hamas’ longstanding commitment to violence against Israel. But rather than highlight the positive examples of Israeli-Palestinian interaction, MAP would rather vilify the Jewish state instead.”

The ZF is investigating a variety of avenues to counter the campaign, and will continue to empower its supporters to combat anti-Israel propaganda.

ZF STANDS UP TO CAROLINE LUCAS MP

The ZF has recently learnt of attempts by The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) to place pressure on Southern Water to terminate its contract with Israeli company, Arad Group using misguided information.  Arad Group supply world leading water meters to more than 50 countries around the world.   The PSC have persuaded Caroline Lucas MP to join their efforts in attempting to boycott the Israeli company, stating that using Arad water meters is at the expense of Palestinian Human Rights.

We have invited our members, particularly those served by Southern Water to write as appropriate to Southern Water showing their support for Arad Group. Southern Water is required to and subsequently confirmed that they have awarded its contract for the supply of water meters to Arad Group on the basis of economical advantage. The suggestion that Southern Water should use an alternative supplier due to political considerations would be illegal under UK and EU law.

Paul Charney, ZF Chairman, stated that “The call to boycott Arad Group discriminates on the basis of nationality.  This is not only illegal in the UK but certainly immoral to the right minded. We must not allow distortions of the truth to mislead public opinion and ultimately place pressure on misguided politicians to support boycotts of Israel.”

The ZF will make every effort to inform MPs and the public of the truth regarding water supplies. Together with UK Lawyers for Israel, we will provide first hand resources and legal research confirming as such. 

ZF CONDEMNS IRISH MEP WHO GLORIFIED TERRORISM

The ZF were appalled by remarks made by Paul Murphy, an Irish socialist MEP, calling for another Palestinian Intifada.

In his statement last week to Russia Today, Mr Murphy stated “You’ve seen significant protest, significant movement, the potential to redevelop a struggle along the lines of the first Intifada”.  Murphy’s remarks are inciting indiscriminate violence against Israeli and Palestinian civilians. His call to armed struggle is irresponsible and dangerous, especially for a man in his position.

Chairman of the ZF, Paul Charney stated “Mr Murphy’s remarks glorifying the Intifada and justifying it as an alternative to peace talks is disgraceful and highly irresponsible. It dangerously incites the masses to violence, at a time in the Middle East where war and terror is all too common. I call on the Irish Socialist Party to deal swiftly with this issue by publicly confirming that they support peace and further condemn Mr Murphy by stating that his comments are unacceptable”.

The ZF will continue to speak out against those glorifying terrorism.  

PROSCRIPTION OF HEZBOLLAH MUST GO FURTHER

The ZF and its UK members welcome the news that the EU has agreed to proscribe the military wing of the terrorist group Hezbollah. The ZF, along with many other pro Israel organisations, campaigned for months for Hezbollah to be listed as a terrorist organisation. This involved working with MPs, MEPs and UK Ministers on the issue and producing detailed research. We’d like to thank all our supporters who wrote to their MPs, MEPs, the EU Commission and The Foreign Secretary on the matter.

However, proscribing Hezbollah’s military wing does not effectively counter terrorism. In 2009 Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, stated: “Hezbollah has a single leadership. All political, social and jihad work is tied to the decisions of this leadership”. Consequently, for the EU to thwart global terrorism they should proscribe all wings of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. Furthermore, the EU cannot ignore the role of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards who created Hezbollah and have made it the force it is today.

ZF Chairman Paul Charney stated “Whilst I welcome the news that the EU is proscribing some of Hezbollah, I am left questioning what about the rest. Since it is and always has been a single organic terrorist organisation, then how does this help?

The EU has made an irrelevant distinction and should proscribe Hezbollah immediately in its entirety”.

The ZF and all its members will continue to stand up to international terrorism.

ZF EMPOWERS ACTIVISTS TO WRITE

Over 30 ZF activists who had to apply for the courseattended the ZF’S 2013 writing course, run by David Harris. David is an experienced multimedia journalist on Israel and the wider Middle East. During his time as a journalist David has interviewed Tony Blair and Shimon Peres, amongst many others. David is currently the Director of Research and Content for The Israel Project.

During the course people were trained on how best to write Op-Eds, letters, blogs and how to utilise social media effectively to advocate for Israel. The writing course is one of a series of training programs that the ZF offers during the year.

ZF Director, Alan Aziz said “this writing course gave activists the opportunity to realise the power of the written word to be able to tell the truth about Israel. In the constant struggle against those who hate Israel the pen really is mightier than the sword”.

Participant Andrei Voica stated “David Harris gave precious knowledge on how to write an Op-Ed and what are the best tactics to be applied when it comes to using social-media. The ZF team, as always, proved to be outstanding organisers”.

The ZF will continue to train people to stand up for Israel in the UK.

More photos in both high and low resolution available upon request.

  

ZF STATEMENT ON NEWS THAT DAVID WARD MP HAS WHIP WITHDRAWN

“I am pleased to hear that David Ward MP has had his whip withdrawn for two months.  His use of anti-Semitic language veiled in anti-Israel rhetoric has finally been dealt with by his party.

I applaud Lib Dem Chief Whip Alistair Carmichael MP and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP for taking this necessary action. Should Mr Ward continue to abuse his position by using it as a platform to broadcast his prejudice against Jews and Israel, then his party should withdraw the whip permanently. This action sends a clear message that racially prejudiced language will not be tolerated in our society”.   

ZF WELCOMES NEWS THAT TfL ISRAELI EXLUSION CONDITION REMOVED

“I am pleased to report that following swift public outcry and a ZF chairman’s statement, the Israeli exclusion condition agreed between Emirates Airlines, the UAE official airline, and TfL has since been removed.

As part of the agreement, the Docklands cable car scheme would not be able to receive funding from Israeli owned finance houses, nor could it sell a majority stake to Israeli owned companies.

Thankfully, this oversight has not had any lasting effect on the important trading relationship between the UK and Israel. I firmly support a strong and mutually profitable trading relationship between the two democracies.

I would personally like to thank Sir Peter Hendy from TfL for urgently resolving this matter with Emirates Airlines.

We must remain vigilant against any back-door attempts to boycott Israel in the UK”.

Paul Charney- ZF CHAIRMAN  

ZF STATEMENT ON TFL ISRAELI EXCLUSION CONDITION

I am extremely disappointed to hear that Transport for London (TfL) has agreed to an Israeli exclusion condition put forward by the UAE relating to Thames Cable Cars.

As part of the agreement the cable car scheme can not receive funding from Israeli owned finance houses or banks. It also cannot sell a majority stake in the scheme to Israeli owned companies.

This sets a dangerous precedent effectively allowing UAE money to dictate government policy through commercial contracts. Bi-lateral trade has doubled over the past year making Israel one of Britain's key trading partners. This contractual exclusion would not benefit the UK in the long run.

I call on TfL to urgently discuss this matter with foreign and trade ministers and reconsider this agreement before any lasting damage is done” 

Paul Charney- ZF CHAIRMAN