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that “Israel is an important strategic partner his position on Israel”. for the UK”. As Curtis notes: “The Palestinians Lindsey German, national convenor of the are the expendable unpeople in this deepening Stop the War Coalition, reminds us of something special relationship”. crucial that the corporate media has been happy to downplay or bury: “We should not forget either that the Israeli embassy was implicated A shameful outburst in interfering in British politics last year when one of its diplomats was recorded as saying that Unsurprisingly, then, the Israeli lobby have he wanted to ‘bring down’ pro-Palestine Tory been trawling through Corbyn’s life, trying to MP, Alan Duncan. While he was sent back to find past incidents they can highlight as “supIsrael in disgrace, the matter went no further port” for the ludicrous and cynical claim that he – disgracefully given that this was blatant interis “soft” on antisemitism or even himself antiseference in the British political system”. mitic. Hence the manufactured controversy of In 2017, an Al Jazeera undercover sting opCorbyn hosting an event in 2010 during which eration on key members of the Israel lobby in Auschwitz survivor Hajo Meyer compared IsBritain had revealed a £1-million rael’s behaviour to that of Nazi plot by the Israeli government to Germany. Senior ministers undermine Corbyn. An Independent editorial, titled have said that German continued: “Are we se“Corbyn has been found wanting riously supposed to imagine that on antisemitism – now he must the UK-Israel this was a maverick operation, act”, asserted that he was “a fool relationship is the or that there is no other attempt to lend his name to this stunt”. It to influence British politics, eswas: “such an egregious error of “cornerstone of so pecially when both Labour and judgement that Jeremy Corbyn, much of what we Conservative Friends of Israel an extraordinarily stubborn man, do in the Middle organisations have strong links has had to apologise for it”. with the embassy? The present Under a photograph of CorEast”, and “Israel ambassador is Mark Regev, the byn sitting at the 2010 meeting is an important man who was press spokesman with Meyer, Times political corstrategic partner in 2009 when he defended the respondent Henry Zeffman said killing of Palestinians through that: “Corbyn has led Labour for the UK” Operation Cast Lead, and who into a nightmare of his own makhas defended the recent killings ing. The veteran left-winger will of Gazan Palestinians by Israeli forces”. never recant the views on Israel that he formed For shared elite interests in Israel and the over decades in the political wilderness”. UK, there is much at stake. Historian and forIn the Daily Mail, the caption to the same eign policy analyst Mark Curtis highlights “the 2010 photograph of Corbyn sitting with Meyer raw truth” rarely touched by the corporate led with the word, “Offensive”. And on and on it news media: “The UK’s relationship with Israel went in the ‘mainstream’ media. is special in at least nine areas, including arms Adri Nieuwhof, a Netherlands-based human sales, air force, nuclear deployment, navy, intelrights advocate and former anti-apartheid acligence and trade”. tivist, was a friend of Meyer, who died in 2014. Indeed, arms exports and trade are increasIn an article for Electronic Intifada, she wrote: ingly profitable to British corporations doing “The 2010 Holocaust Memorial Day event took business with Israel. Moreover, senior governplace the year after an Israeli assault on Gaza ment ministers have emphasised that the UK[Operation Cast Lead] that killed more than Israel relationship is the “cornerstone of so 1,400 Palestinians and injured thousands more. much of what we do in the Middle East”, and “Meyer was very upset by the assault beColdType | Mid-August 2018 | www.coldtype.net