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Last update - 15:31 02/02/2008
British Jewish group sparks outrage with Gaza blockade criticism
By Saul Sadka
Tags: Israel, British Jewry, Gaza 

LONDON - A controversial coalition of prominent Jewish activists and academics has reignited controversy in the British Jewish community after taking out an paid advertisement in The Times this week calling for Israel to lift its economic blockade of the Gaza Strip and accusing the state of breaching international law.

"Independent Jewish Voices" was formed a year ago and counts Nobel laureate Harold Pinter and actor Stephen Fry among its prominent signatories.

Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm is also a signatory though neither he nor Fry and Pinter - the groups most recognisable names - signed Wednesday's statement.
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The group was formed to provide an alternative to the Board of Deputies of British Jews - a cross communal Jewish organisation dating back to 1760 - who the IJV felt were inauthentically presenting themselves as the exclusive voice of Judaism in Britain. IJV members say that the Board of Deputies refuses to allow criticism of Israel and this presents a unrepresentative picture of Jewish opinion in the U.K.

The statement which appeared on the inside pages of the paper was signed by 250 of the groups members. Entitled "End the siege of Gaza!", the statement condemned Israel's actions in blockading Gaza as a violation of international law, and also called for a halt to Palestinian rocket attacks.

"The collective punishment of the population of Gaza is illegal under international law. We condemn attacks on all civilians including the rocket attacks on the residents of Southern Israel," said the statement.

The statement also called for an end to the blockade and for "both sides to observe a ceasefire."

Feminist academic Jacqueline Rose who describes herself as a "critic of Zionism," is one of the groups principle advocates. She said that the motivation for the statement was in response to the current crisis in Gaza.

"IJV arose partly in response to our sense that bodies in the U.K. who claim to represent British Jewry make statements as though they were speaking for all British Jews. While many of us have a high profile - we are not claiming that we are excluded from the debate - we formed to make it clear that British Jews do not speak with one voice."

The group has views on everything from th right of Norman Finkelstein to speak at the Oxford Union which they support, to the proposed academic and economic boycotts of Israel which members disagree on. Rose says that while the group disagrees over the boycott they "support it being discussed openly, something which regrettably may be illegal in the UK." She argues that "the battle against antisemitism is weakened by its association with criticism of Israel."

Rose says that the network took out the advertisement in The Times rather that what might be seen as its more obvious political home The Guardian to get its message beyond the left wing readership who would generally approve of the group's credo, to a more mainstream audience.

She argues that "Israel must negotiate with the elected Hamas government for there to be any kind of a solution to the rocket fire on the south."

The group caused a media storm following its launch, with a full page advertisement in The Times, a week long discussion on The Guardian's Website and extensive media coverage. However, the group does not take a firm position on the proposed academic and economic boycott of Israel, with some of its members supportive while other are in opposition.

One of its signatories, Tony Greenstein is a trade unionist who has publicly called for a boycott of Israeli goods and is also a member of "Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods."

A critic of the group, lawyer and academic Anthony Julius, disputed the claim that Israel was in breach of international law.

"It is by no means unarguable that Israel is right to treat Gaza as an enemy territory. It is hard to see on what basis Israel's actions can be seen as a violation and only one or two of the signatories could grapple with issues involved."

Julius argues that the group is "fraying at the edges and has lost some of its membership. It is unable to speak with a coherent voice on any issue, such as the academic boycott of Israel."

Related articles:
  • New group aims to open debate among British Jews on Israel
  • British Jewish group strikes back at new left-wing group
  • Jonathan Spyer / The anti-Israel lobby
  • Richard Silverstein / In praise of the Jewish blogosphere
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      1.   Kudos 14:36  |  POP 01/02/08
      2.   Kudos 14:36  |  POP 01/02/08
      3.   Self hating Jews want to go to more dinner parties 14:37  |  Rob 01/02/08
      4.   Criticizing Israeli Policies 15:00  |  JJ 01/02/08
      5.   Curious why the trio of Hobsbawhm,Pinter & Fry did not sign the 15:16  |  lakshmi 01/02/08
      6.   On Jewish Activists in Great Britain....bah. 15:45  |  Stephen. 01/02/08
      7.   Honorable and courageous Jews 15:46  |  Natallie Durson 01/02/08
      8.   gaza blockade?! 15:49  |  meir 01/02/08
      9.   Gaza and International Law. 15:52  |  Harold Lane 01/02/08
      10.   Some among us are our worst enemies. Flavius Josephus would be 15:57  |  common sense 01/02/08
      11.   Nothing new. Jews are an opinionated people. 16:16  |  Sam 01/02/08
      12.   sorry to laugh 16:17  |  justajew 01/02/08
      13.   Ghettoes are "legal" ? 16:19  |  whoopsie 01/02/08
      14.   The intellectual straightjacket that is Zionism 16:25  |  Tim 01/02/08
      15.   ijv 16:30  |  renee brotman 01/02/08
      16.   Ignore this Bunch of Rubbish 16:37  |  S Judah 01/02/08
      17.   Prominent `Jewish` Activists Against Jews or Activists FOR Jewish 16:40  |  Big Difference! 01/02/08
      18.   More leftist hypocrisy 16:41  |  Binyamin Dissen 01/02/08
      19.   Jews for Jesus representation in IJV 16:41  |  Yaakov Sullivan 01/02/08
      20.   UK Jews can join Hamas to oppress the Gazans 16:41  |  sd fort 01/02/08
      21.   why the surprise there are jewish idiots too ! 16:56  |  v hardman 01/02/08
      22.   Haaretz talkback posters are idiots 16:57  |  Gili 01/02/08
      23.   Shocking - Israel can`t whip British Jews into line 16:59  |  Clickfool 01/02/08
      24.   These Clowns Are So "Open Minded" and "Understanding" 16:59  |  Eli 01/02/08
      25.   New Group 16:59  |  Louis Fried 01/02/08
      26.   It is becoming apparent 17:04  |  PETER SM 01/02/08
      27.   British extremists are outraged 17:07  |  Sam 01/02/08
      28.   WHY HAARETZ IS CALLING IT A "controversial coalition"? 17:17  |  JACKAL 01/02/08
      29.   Criticism is OK, not propaganda 17:18  |  B`Galil 01/02/08
      30.   #15 17:20  |  Daniel 01/02/08
      31.   Anarchists among us,lucky we,it is a fringe 17:21  |  TOMY 01/02/08
      32.   TO renee brotman #15 17:26  |  Steve Beikirch 01/02/08
      33.   Reminds me of the joke about the Jew stranded alone on an island 17:27  |  Man deVoshkes 01/02/08
      34.   #10 Common Sense comments 17:27  |  Chris Linthwaite 01/02/08
      35.   Doing their homework lakshmi, unlike you! 17:28  |  Figaro 01/02/08
      36.   Is this really news? 17:29  |  Ruth Fisher 01/02/08
      37.   This Is An Extremely Positive Development 17:30  |  Yaakov Sullivan 01/02/08
      38.   Just Because They Are Jews Does Not Mean They Are Not 17:31  |  Eli 01/02/08
      39.   Who needs arabs if we have Jews like... 17:38  |  Alon 01/02/08
      40.   GAZA SOLUTION 17:45  |  VENI VIDI 01/02/08
      41.   14. dear tim. my analyses will differ 17:49  |  bozhidar balkas 01/02/08
      42.   Weaklings 18:09  |  Danite 01/02/08
      43.   NO BUZZ BOMBS FALLING ON LONDON ANYMORE 18:09  |  NEIL GOLAN 01/02/08
      44.   "activists"?? 18:09  |  Hannah 01/02/08
      45.   these are the true voices of Jewish conscience. 18:13  |  Asher 01/02/08
      46.   cowards 18:14  |  Fortuna 01/02/08
      47.   "Outrage"? 18:14  |  Laura Heintze 01/02/08
      48.   FRY AND FRIENDS 18:22  |  oliver masterman 01/02/08
      49.   Like it or not, Israel does deserve Criticism 18:22  |  Awake 01/02/08
      50.   Rob 18:23  |  Danite 01/02/08
      51.   WARCRIMES,NAZIS= DARFUR 18:30  |  NEIL GOLAN 01/02/08
      52.   These are not Jews 18:32  |  Dezon 01/02/08
      53.   British Jewry Bless your chicken soup attitudes. 18:40  |  Dangalil 01/02/08
      54.   Collective punishment 18:41  |  Kyle 01/02/08
      55.   11Sam,the blanket term `arab` is no longer suitable!The 18:45  |  lakshmi 01/02/08
      56.   These guys are all faggotts 18:47  |  Tony Aron 01/02/08
      57.   British Jews 18:47  |  M 01/02/08
      58.   There was no blockade of Gaza 18:54  |  I. Barr 01/02/08
      59.   A bunch of British nobodies show thier stupidity 18:56  |  smarter then olmert 01/02/08
      60.   When and Where else in History 19:00  |  Ben 01/02/08
      61.   Same Old Cowards - Professional "Good Jews" 19:09  |  Tod Zuckerman 01/02/08
      62.   Who are the `prominent` people that signed? 19:17  |  redmike 01/02/08
      63.   #3 To Rob on so/called self/hatimg Jews 19:23  |  Mark B. 01/02/08
      64.   I`m not sure... 19:24  |  hollingsworth 01/02/08
      65.   COURT JEWS. very patronizing arrogant people. 19:26  |  Trey 01/02/08
      66.   #19 Ben: Absolutely correct and explained perfactly! 19:30  |  Vittorio 01/02/08
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      70.   # 22 hollingsworth: Kudos- you see throught them - those Jews ... 20:16  |  17 :) 01/02/08