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.