Britain's Channel 4 exposes 'power' of pro-Israel lobby

Get over it, the irony is you imply the gun lobby is a bad thing. The gun lobby protects constitutional rights. As far as the energy and pharma lobby, well they are a part of OUR country. The Zionist lobby is a group of Jewish individuals bilking my country to help protect them, while your country Israel, slanders us if we "violate" anyone civil rights or even attempt to stop immigration in OUR country. Israel has become a leech, on the American people that must be removed. My tax dollars pay for guns, ammo, and military equipment, as well as other things America gives Israel, and for what? What has Israel EVER gave America? The whole thing is one sided to say the least and trust me, Israel's end is coming and the world will be better for it.

WE have had a lot of antisemitism in Britain since 1,000 years.

I must've lived here too long, I'm forgetting British humour. My mistake, sorry!

Channel 4 asked the Jewish organisations for the facts and these organisations refused to comment. Which is I think you will agree unusual if as these Jewish organisations claim. That what they are doing is all above board and totally legal. So why not ask these organisations to operate in an open and transparent manner showing just exactly whre the money has come from, and who is recieving it? I am sure you will agree in a democracy this is a perfectley acceptable request.

not innuendo. While you are at it who pays to keep the lid on Arab apartheid,racism,public executions occupation of Kurdistan,West Sahara etc etc? Where are the calls for boycott from so called justice seekers? Where are the demonstrations? What are YOU doing about torture and out of hand executions by Palestians? Has it occured to you that not everybody sees this conflict through your monocular specs?

Once again the argument of anti-semitism is used to avoid bringing up arguments. I am really getting sick of this misuse of the term. How can anyone still take these people serious ??.

Anthony Lerman, former director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research in the UK, wrote a good article in the Guardian. The pro Israel lobby in the UK supports the interest of a foreign power, bankrolls politicians, tries to influence politics at the highest levels and criticizes the media, that are critical of Israel's policies. In the interest of public transparency the public in the UK has a right to know how this lobby (and others like her) is working, who is running it and how does it get its results. After all what the pro Israel lobby wants is not necessarily what is good for Britain as a whole (or Israel and the Palestinians for that matter). All but one of the lobby groups declined to be interviewed for the program, leading to the reasonable conclusion, that they do not like to be scrutinized. The program's recommendation, that the pro Israel lobby needs to be far more open about how it is funded and what it does, can therefore not be faulted.

A completely incomprehensible posting.

and do not spend their days obsessing about them. Most politicians in the UK are not from leftist Islamists of the "Respect party" type.They represent a loony left minority. Thats nothing to do with Jews,but keep trying to blame shift anyway.When evidence does NOT exist create your own.

That will makes even better story.

if israel had nothing to hide, why would it need to buy its friends? why does israel crave the worlds acceptance? the answer to the above is very simple. because it is a pariah practising some of the most despicable crimes against humanity, it MUST pay for influence in the US, UK and australia so as to buy legitimacy. no other country has so much to hide than israel.

It could've been worse. The U.S. is giving, free-of-charge, $ 3 billion a year military aid to Israel every year, courtesy of AIPAC and U.S. taxpayers.

Muslims groups have found ways to counter the Jewish lobby in UK and in parts of EU but changes in US laws make it harder for non-citizens to give campaign money or offer jobs after they leave office. The crackdown on Muslims groups funding in US after 9/11 has given Jewish groups more control over Congress on ME policies.

You are dead right, that the Israel lobby, no matter where it is, has power and money. They are clearly lobbying for a foreign power, and should be listed as such and sent back to Israel. As for the Brits and Americans, who have enjoyed our freedoms and support of Israel in the past, but who now pour their monies into these efforts, they should now move to Israel. In American AIPAC owns the US congress to the point that is outrageous. World citizens must wake up and smell what is going on. Brits and Americans must decide they are citizens of their country or "Israel firsters," and in the latter case move to the country they favor.

They are just working the system, like everyone else.

brittania is completely corroded by the antisemitic/moslem fungus.A green rag will be hanging from the parlament towers pretty soon...The same way "lady" di was the whore of her dodi fayed,brittanian is now the whore of the "pakis",the saudis,the emirates and any other petrodollars loaded moslem country...have petrodollars,britania welcomes with open arms and legs...

English Jews form 0.5% of the total UK population and yet the influence they wield on gov't and the media is hugely disproportionate to this tiny population. The Ch 4 presenter conceded there was no evidence of a conspiracy in the sense of the availability of direct evidence of Jews sitting down and plotting to influence the gov't and the media. However, the circumstantial evidence speaks for itself

and anyway the brits invented racism and are very good at anti-semitism too.

Going down the pub is a national pleasure. Most of us here in the UK do it. Lighten up and remember that irony still rules in UK humour. More to my point is that Israel is not the topic of intense national obsession (yet) in the UK. Mundane and not so mundane issues occupy most people's daily thoughts, mostly to do with them,their own security and happiness. Read the Sun, the biggeset UK newspaper and you will not see an article on Israel. The obsession is amongst the liberal left and the C4 programme was unnerving to those of us, both liberal left and Jewish, who do not wish to witness repeat the anti jewish activities that have dogged our European ancestors BUT see similar patterns emerging.

I guess you guys in the UK have not heard of the phrase "innocent until proven guilty." Goldstone's report proved nothing, as even he readily admits.

Would Israel like it if we had a Muslim foreign minister or an Arab PM`s adviser on the Middle East? Thought not. What difference if Israel does or doesn't? The religion of UK ministers is nothing to do with Israel and nothing to do with anyone else either for that matter. When I voted in the UK I voted for people I thought would be good for the country. Their religion didn't come into the equation.

"And I am also saying that English people who are not jewish are not preoccupied with Israel but other pressing issues such as unemployment, home grown islamist bomb makers, immigration and going down the pub" The first things you listed, yes, but going down the pub? I'm British and live in America and think that comment is condescending. Also, by keeping in touch with family and friends in London, I can tell you that British opinion of Israel is generally unfavourable....

Please read The missing peace - Deniss Ross My Life - Bill Clinton. What was offered at Camp David was contiguous WB abd all of Gaza. There were some sovereignity issues about air space and the Jordanian border etc. But considering what happened after the unilateral Gaza pullout I guess Israel needs some security until the time when Arabs will sincerely accept their western neighbors' right to exist in peace.

Dear All What was offered to the Palestinians at Camp David in 2000 was not a fully independent sovereign Palestine that was contiguous and viable. Moreover Ehud Barak wanted to keep the large settlements which unfortunately are illegal under international law, the International Court in the Hague and which the US Administration views as lacking legitimacy. Thank you. God bless

I'm not saying 'Jews aren't hard working and talented" anywhere in my response. You are interpreting such. Jews are the same as everyone else - with all the shades and hues. What I AM SAYING however is that there is a movement in the UK amongst the liberal press (C4,Guardian, Independent) that unwittingly seeks to promote views that, if exposed by the BNP, would be considered unsavory. And I am also saying that English people who are not jewish are not preoccupied with Israel but other pressing issues such as unemployment, home grown islamist bomb makers, immigration and going down the pub. Your attempt to proffer your pov as the norm just isn't the case, unless you watch C4, read the Guardian and Independent.

The Palestinians, even HAMAS have agreed to a state based on the borders of the greenline of 1967, with a few swaps for land so that Ariel and other places can saty in Israel. Why should they accept anything less.

If even after the 2000 Camp David where Israel agreed to the creation of a Palestinian Arab state in all of Gaza, 96% of WB plus Israeli land, capital in East Jerusalem Arabs refused it there is not much more compromise that Israel can make. Israel's cards are now open and the entire world know how much it can compromise. Now it is Arab's turn to open their hands and tell the world what is their compromise. Israel's record shows that when Egypt was sicncere about peace they pulled out from Sinai.

"What rot Michael but what dangerous rot you write." I wrote "the Jewish community in Britain does include a comparatively high ratio of wealthy and influential people. That`s a fact. It`s not a bad fact, in the sense that those people have acquired their money and positions through talent and hard work." What in that do you object to? I've always worked with and socialised with Jewish people and always had huge respect for those I've known. The Jewish community has provided some of the best and most talented Britons over the last few centuries. I also know from personal comments that many of them are unhappy with Israel's current policies. However, the leaders of the Jewish community still resolutely stick to a policy of blind support of Israel. I find it frustrating they don't use their influence to influence Israel to be more moderate. Sorry if that offends you.

It was aired on Utube as well. I noticed that they tried to interview the head of Honest Reporting in Jerusalem and made much of the fact that he was unavailable. I contacted HR and learned that they had tried to reach him on Shabbat, a time when most religious (and I do not mean necessarily Orthodox) Jews do not work. So Jews give money to support Israel. I recall, when I was a child, tzedakah boxes in which we placed change on Friday evening. The money was then going to support Jews in "The Promised Land". And I was born before 1930!

I think you are mixing pro-Arab and pro-Saudi. There was clear self interest for the UK economy in washing over the bribes scandal as a result of the Saudi pressure. The Saudi lobby is not involved in Israel / Palestine like the Jewish lobby groups the programme focussed on. The UK govt. did also receive a lot of criticism for agreeing to the Saudi demands.

Israel-centric media lobby in the UK, not dissimilar to AIPAC in the US. There is a full-time Jewish group or people organising it. Journalists who oppose the Israeli right's line are on the receiving end of complaints to editors and shareholders, backstabbing and vituperative letter-writing campaigns. The talkback channels are virtually blocked when there is an item of news criticising Israel, when the UK's Jewish population seems to suddenly expand alarmingly in size and rather coincidentally trots out exactly the same right wing sentiments one reads every day in Haaretz. (See Monday's Times feedback on Gilo housing). No, the Israeli propaganda war is being fought zealously in the UK. However it falls on largely deaf ears, as the bulk of the non-Jewish public has lost any sympathy for Israel following Lebanon 2 and Cast Lead and each Goldstone report and Gilo announcement just gets Israel further down the hole.

Would you kindly provide EVIDENCE for"Israel should, among many other things, stop corrupting politicians in other countries."&" paid for foreign politicians, doing the pro Israel lobby`s bidding." Slogans are only facts for the factually destitute. So why not provide hard EVIDENCE like the Billion given by the Brits to the Saudi prince for the arms contract or the oil contracts handed out by Sadaam to the "right people" and the incorruptible UN. EVIDENCE that would stand up in a courtroom will do. You sure politicians do not receive anything from the Arab side? Are you complaining about the threats and violence in Belgium.?

You know the reason this programme is being made now? Because there is perceived to be a growing gap between what the average Briton wants the government to do about Israel and what it actually is doing. While non-Jewish Brits were almost all supporting Israel in 1967, that situation has steadily reversed. Non-Jewish Brits were almost universally horrified by Lebanon 2 and Cast Lead. They also don't see why Israel can keep the Pals captive forever and why we fought IRA terrorism with restraint, while Israel uses F16s and artillery. Therefore they want the government to be tougher on Israel and wonder why it isn't doing that? Could it be because of the pro-Israel influence of the British Jewish community?

Money = leverage = power is the stuff of all political systems, democratic or otherwise. Doesn't seem fair. Is the reality. However the C4 doc was worryingly insidious because of its tone. 'The Rich Jews fingering the levers of sovereign British power' smacks of myths past....rich Jews running Russia or Germany or France, take your pick of any European country. Some of us, not so rich, UK Jews are beginning to wonder how long before we too will have to pack our bags and get out. For the first time in 2000 years we have a country that will have us, Israel.

The Jews of Britain conspire to survive in a semi-hysterical environment of anti-Semitism. London reeks of anti-Jewish (not just anti-Israeli) ranting. So the question is really one of *spiring* (i.e. breathing). It's hard to find another Jew to con-spire with.

Funny that they never show the 'POWER' of the pro-Arab lobby in the Uk. We have seen how a Prime Minister went out of his way to protect a British arms manufacturer in a bribes scandel concerning Saudia Arabia. Saudia Arabia threatened to cancel all orders if the police continued with their investigation. (£30 billion) So who has the most powerfull lobby in the UK?

Sections of the British press is amongst the most hostile in the Western World.Their reports include outright fabrications and distortions. A case in point is Orla Guerrins outright lies from Lebanon on the BBC. If the Jews were all powerful,why did Britain abstain on the vote from the Goldstone farce while most of the EU voted against it? PS There are plenty of well organisedd anti Israel activist groups harrassing Israelis and calling for boycotts. PPS All powerful AIPAC seems to have no effect on the wild eyed lefty behaviour and teachings on campus or leftist media like NPR

for me to give Kadima £30 Million to reopresent my views in the Knesset, which in my case is the two state solution. In the cse of the Israeli lobby in the UK the occupation? Interestingly Jewish contributers to the programme said that it would be accused of anti semitism.

Is there such law in Britain?

The censor doesn't seem to like me pointing this out, but the Jewish community in Britain does include a comparatively high ratio of wealthy and influential people. That's a fact. It's not a bad fact, in the sense that those people have acquired their money and positions through talent and hard work. But it is a fact. It's also a fact that people with wealth and influence tend to use it to promote causes they support, whether it's environmentalism, Catholic theology, or Israel, or whatever. Some of that influence is expressed openly though lobby groups, some of it is done person to person. I'm sure Milliband, our current foreign minister, and Lord Levy, Blair's adviser on the Middle East, did what they thought right for Britain, but their Jewish connections can only mean that Israel gets heard more clearly than its opponents. Would Israel like it if we had a Muslim foreign minister or an Arab PM's adviser on the Middle East? Thought not.

For non-Brits, Channel 4 has nothing to do with BBC, it's an independent commercial channel that specialises in weird programing. Their Christmas special was a one hour study of whether Mary was raped and then pretended God had got her pregnant. Their Christmas message to the Nation was delivered by Pres. Ahmidinejad [apologies for the spellng!] They ran a programme with a grandson of Orthodox Rabbi Dr. Avigdor Schonfeld attacking Bris Milah [circumcision] based on one case as if it was typical. Balance is not Channel 4's strong point.

If Channel 4 wants to have a balanced presentation they should do a Dispatches on the Arab lobby as well. From time to time it appears the Saudi Kingdom dictates to the UK Govt what it can and cannot disclose about deals, making overt threats to cancel future sales if disobeyed. The Jewish Community Security Trust looks after security for Anglo-Jewish institutions. That's hardly part of any Israel Lobby. Most British Jews have extended family living or studying in Israel and therefore have a personal interest in their safety from terrorists' missiles, suicide bombers etc. This is hardly a conspiracy.

WOW ! First the A I P A C. And now also in 'Great Britain' No Kidding !

Every interest group will have its spokesmen and lobbyists to present its case. This in itself is nothing sinister or illegal. If RSPCA, NSPCC and National Trust, for instance, have spokesmen who make MP's aware of their concerns, this would hardly be cause for alarm, or be presented in a hostile manner on Channel 4. In times gone by Labour was lobbied by the unions and Tories perhaps by the Confederation of British Industry. As long as it is within the law.

All this wheeling 'n dealing behind the curtains, will only be very detrimental to Israel's international standing in the long run. While in its early existence Israel had the support of many countries and their general population, now it seems Israel's supporters are either die hard zionists or paid for foreign politicians, doing the pro Israel lobby's bidding. Part of Israel's right to exists, came from the international community, when Israel looses this support, it squanders its destiny. Conclusion, Israel should, among many other things, stop corrupting politicians in other countries.

How much self-indignant fury would an expose on the power of the gun lobby in the USA unleash amongst us Jews or other folks? Or an expose on the power of the energy lobby in fighting environmental protections or the pharma lobby in obstructing healthcare reform or the automobile lobby that for decades prevented more stringent mileage standards. The truth is there are several extremely well-funded, well-organized, influential and powerful lobby groups that indeed do succeed in influencing legislation and the positions of legislators and very often not in a way that is truly beneficial for the country as a whole. And one of those 'outstanding' lobbying groups happens to be a group like AIPAC that ranks right up there with the best and most powerful lobbies like those mentioned above. When will we stop playing this 'anti-semite' card (or in the case of people like me - the 'self-hating' Jew card) whenever some valid commentary or criticism is leveled. Get over it!

That's not a suggestion, that's a statement of fact. The Jewish communities of western Europe are well integrated in their societies and have produced people who hold a lot of important jobs and hold a lot of wealth. Jewish communities are generally pro-Israel, whereas the public in those countries is now, after Lebanon 2 and Cast Lead, becoming anti-Israel and wanting pressure on Israel to get out of the West Bank. Yet western governments NEVER do anything but put the tiniest pressure on Israel and even that gets them into trouble with their Jewish communities. It's not a conspiracy. It's rich and influential communities using their assets to affect government policy, as is common in capitalist systems.

Most semites speak Arabic

BRITAIN HAS NO EFFECTIVE PRO-ISRAEL LOBBY Tom Gross comments: If only. Whereas there is a pro-Israel lobby with some influence in the U.S. (though not the kind of influence ascribed to it by anti-Semites), contrary to what Channel 4 and others think, there is no effective pro-Israel lobby in Britain. The complete lack of any effective pro-Israel lobby in Britain (as opposed to well organized anti-Israel groups) goes a long way to explaining why some of the coverage of Israel in the British media is among the worst in the world, and sometimes rivals the Iranian and Egyptian media for its sheer nastiness. It also explains why Britain failed to back Israel last week at the U.N. General Assembly vote on the Goldstone report into Israeli war crimes, while other democracies ? including the U.S., Italy, Germany, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, Macedonia and the Czech Republic ? did vote with Israel. NEO-NAZI WEBSITES PROMOTE CHANNEL 4 PROGRAM Interestingly, the makers of the program contacted the Community Security Trust (CST) for interview. The CST has got nothing to do with lobbying for Israel. It coordinates security activities with the British police to protect Jewish schools, synagogues and other institutions from attack. Physical attacks on British Jews are running at near record post-war highs. Per capita, British Jews have in the last couple of years been attacked more than any other religious or ethnic minority in Britain. The makers of Channel 4?s program, Hardcash Productions, wrote last week to the CST?s chairman (who is a subscriber to this email list) to inform him that they ?will be looking at a number of groups and leading individuals who collectively make up the pro-Israel lobby including the Community Security Trust? and to ask him for an interview. When one looks at the advance wording about the program that Channel 4 has placed on its website (?one of the most powerful and influential political lobbies? wielding great influence? little is known about the individuals and groups which collectively are known as the pro-Israel lobby? the tactics it employs behind the scenes??) it is hard not to conclude that they have been influenced by the many virulent anti-Zionist conspiracy theories spread around the web. Already the readers? comments on the Channel 4 website contains many anti-Semitic notions about secretive all-powerful Jewish conspiracies ?to undermine Britain and the human race?. ?The agents of a foreign power embedded at all levels of our government and politics need flushing out,? writes one reader. Predictably, the program is being promoted on the internet message board of the far-right British National Party and various neo-Nazi websites. Perhaps Channel 4 has even subconsciously been influenced by this 1960s leaflet from Britain?s National Socialist Movement, showing the three main British political parties bowing down before ?the Jew?, with his whip in the shape of a pound sign:

It's the usual thing. They don't rebut the report's suggestions. They try to smear the report with thinly veiled innuendo accusing it of anti-semitism. Such tactics don't work any more. Rebut the facts or people will believe the report.

funded by rich Jews..like AIPAC? its not a conspiracy theory, these groups in the UK just stay away from the limelight...unlike AIPAC. In my opinion ALL lobby groups should be banned, they are unelected and pressure elected MPs to do their bidding, Uk transport would look a lot different without the 'road lobby' insisting on roads instead of public transport for example...

We have heard (ad nauseam) impassioned responses to such programs charging anti-semitism. the question I think should be asked is whether any of the charges are true.

I was curious to see what the "expose" was... sure enough, it starts out with the assumption that Israel is "evil" to begin with. It's quite obvious that the makers of the documentary believe support of and lobbying for Israel to be a crime. They also believe that the high amount of support among conservatives for Israel is indicative that they are all paid off by this lobby (begging the question of why they can't pay off liberals too). You can hear the hatred in the narrator's voice when he says "Israel"... there's no mistaking that.

A new car, a new house, better social security, going out for dinner twice a week etc., instead of having to bribe corrupted politicians in the U.S., the UK and wherever.... ....all you would have to do, in order to have much more fun in life, would be to finally accept compromise on all the 3 core issues of the Israeli-Arab conflict. If I would be in your place, I would surely go for the new car...:)

Any legitamate criticism of Israel and it's dominance is lambasted as being anti semitic by the far right.

http://help.channel4.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE?New,Kb=C4_Author,Company={2EA1BB9C-510E-44A5-A481-01EB1DDA1669},USETEMPLATE=contact_ve.tem Give them at least a GOOD reason to hate the jews !

Not forgetting the largely narrow minded USA readership who will blindly comment on this story, yet not have seen the show or even heard of the channel. But just want to point out that this channel has little allegiance. Just before the show on 'the lobby' started there was a 5 minute show about Arab men selling their wives and children, very bizarre. The same show that investigated the 'UK Jewish lobby' ran another show on dodgy Mosques with undercover cameras and filming, that actually lead to arrests and some deportations. They also got a lot of publicity for airing a show on how to assasinate Bush. It also shows Friends and late night comedy - so over all it's fine! This show on the Jewish lobby was pretty pointless, by even printing an article days later gives it more attention that it deserved..

The programme was completely ridiculous and what did they actually find?: UK Rich jews give money to Israel UK Rich jews give money to political parties? Note: What is immoral about deciding not to give your hard earned money to a political party if you stop agreeing with what they're saying? Pro-Israel organisations are fully transparent about who gives them money and what they use it for. CFI and LFI have high memberships because most of those politicians see themselves as friends of Israel. The programmes conclusions: Since we couldn't find a conspiracy and the best we could do was super-impose quotes from UK rich jews onto pictures of champagne and canapes with creepy music we're going to insinuate that jews have dual loyalty and can't be trusted with large amounts of money. This programme was so crap

I would like to have a word with them since given UK`s position vis a vis Israel, they have been an UTTER FAILURE. Instead of kissing the ass of our leaders and supporting Israel, the queen kisses the Saudi King`s at the airport welcome and try to arrest our officers. Hey, but making up stories about evil Jews is what EU creeps have always liked.

http://www.spectator.co.uk/melaniephillips/5544851/everything-is-now-illuminated.thtml

So Jewish citizens use some of their monry to promote a pro-Israel lobby. Ooooh shocking!