Israel's stooges in Britain flex their muscles in government and the BBC, Urgent call to expose “Friends of Israel” in Britain

By Redress Information & Analysis

25 January 2009

Redress Information & Analysis highlights the influence of Israel’s stooges over the British government and the BBC and calls on readers urgently to help it name and shame members of “Friends of Israel” groups in the country.

With every passing day, the scale of the penetration by Israel’s network of stooges into the heart of the British government and media becomes increasingly apparent. In just three weeks between 27 December 2008 and 17 January 2009, Israel murdered 1330 Palestinians in Gaza, including 437 children and 108 women, and injured 5450 others. Many of these innocent civilians were killed or maimed by phosphorous and other weapons, the use of which is internationally prohibited in civilian areas. Yet, the “Friends of Israel” groups in Britain are showing no sign of shame or retreat. On the contrary, they are becoming more brazen in displaying the extent of their grip on the British government and the BBC. Just two examples will illustrate this.

On 17 January, the day on which an Israeli tank attacked a United Nations-run school in Beit Lahiya, killing two children aged five and seven, Gordon Brown spewed out one of his most immoral and irresponsible announcements to date. In a desperate attempt to appease the Israeli war criminals and their stooges in Britain, he pledged to redeploy the British navy in the Middle East. “We'll send the Royal Navy to help fight [weapon] smuggling,” he said. Not to escort aid vessels or to defend the defenceless Palestinians of Gaza, but to deprive them of weapons with which they could defend themselves!

On 23 January, the BBC, Britain’s state broadcaster, refused to broadcast a national humanitarian appeal for Gaza on behalf of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) – an umbrella organization for 13 humanitarian aid agencies – leaving aid agencies with a potential shortfall of millions of pounds in donations. By convention, if all British broadcasters do not agree to carry a DEC appeal, none does, so the BBC deliberately scuppered the agencies’ attempt to provide urgent humanitarian aid for Gaza’s civilians.

It is a matter of national shame that agents of a foreign power and apologists for murder, in the shape of the “Friends of Israel” network of stooges, have achieved such a level of supremacy in Britain. This need not be so. By and large, the British public has little sympathy for the racist, genocidal state of Israel. Therefore, help us put an end to this national disgrace by naming and shaming Friends of Israel in government and other state bodies, political parties, the BBC and other media, think tanks, academic institutions and religious groups. Tell us who they and how you found out that they are Friends of Israel. If you should harbour any doubt as to whether it is right to expose these “Friends of Israel”, then take a look at the document below to remind yourself of what these people are defending. 

Evidence of Israeli war crimes in Gaza and Lebanon

http://www.redress.cc/global/redress20090124

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STOP THE WAR COALITION 

No. 1078  23 January 2009  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7278 6694  
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
 
URGENT REQUEST TO ALL STOP THE WAR'S SUPPORTERS  
GOVERNMENT COMPLAINS TO BBC FOR BLOCKING GAZA APPEAL  
JOIN THE GOVERNMENT'S PROTEST: COMPLAIN NOW TO THE BBC
 
Stop the War understands that the government has contacted the   
BBC to complain about its decision to refuse the broadcasting    
of a humanitarian appeal for Gaza.
 
The BBC's decision will prevent the raising of millions of  
pounds in emergency aid being sent to Gaza. Stop the War is  
demanding that the exchange between the government and the BBC   
be made public immediately.
 
The BBC says it is blocking the emergency appeal "to avoid any   
risk of compromising public confidence in the BBC's  
"impartiality", as if this has anything to do with  
humanitarian aid for a devastated people. Either they need the   
aid or they do not.
 
This is the first time in the 48 years of similar national  
appeals for humanitarian aid that a broadcast has been     
refused. It is estimated that £10 million of urgently required  
aid will not now be sent to help Palestinians in Gaza, living    
in catastrophic conditions.
 
"This is a betrayal of the BBC's obligation to be a public  
service," said Tony Benn, President of Stop the War. "To deny    
the help that the aid agencies and the UN need is  
incomprehensible."
 
It is imperative that the BBC responds to the government's  
complaint and reverses its decision to refuse this broadcast.    
If it does not, we will see people in Gaza continue to suffer    
due to being denied emergency relief because of BBC  
"impartiality" .
 
Stop the War urges all its supporters to complain to the BBC.    
We must mobilise all the pressure we can to get the BBC to  
reverse its decision.
 
TO COMPLAIN TO THE BBC 
PHONE: 03700 100 222  
TEXT: 03700 100 212  
ONLINE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/
 
BRING CHILDREN'S DOLLS TO THE BBC  
If you are coming to demonstration on Saturday 24 January,  
which assembles outside Broadcasting House, we are asking  
protestors to bring children's dolls, wrapped if possible in  
white shrouds, to be laid on the steps of the BBC, as a  
memorial to the hundreds of children who died in Israel's  
attacks and as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians in  
Gaza, now denied urgently needed aid by the BBC.
 
DEMONSTRATE FOR GAZA: SATURDAY 24 JANUARY  
END THE BLOCKADE: STOP ALL ARMS SALES    
BRING THE WAR CRIMINALS TO JUSTICE  
Assemble 2.00pm BBC Broadcasting House for rally  
Portland Place, London W1A 1AA     
Nearest tubes: Great Portland Street or Regents park.
March starts at 3.00 pm. Ends with rally in Trafalgar Square  
4.30 pm.
 
BRING CHILDEN'S DOLLS WRAPPED IN WHITE SHROUDS TO LAY ON THE  
STEPS OF THE BBC
 
BRING SHOES WITH MESSAGES TO GORDON BROWN INSIDE TO DELIVER AS   
WE MARCH PAST DOWNING STREET   
Instead of banning all arms trade with Israel and breaking all   
diplomatic relations, Brown has offered to send the British  
navy to help Israel tighten its blockade on Gaza.
 
MARCH ROUTE:  
Assemble and rally Portland Place, March to Regent Street,  
Piccadilly, Lower Regent Street, Trafalgar Square,  
Northumberland Avenue, Embankment, Parliament, Downing Street,   
Trafalgar Square (End rally)