Debate about Israel’s extensive lobby activities in parliament unenlightening
June 2026
LETTER ADDED: 29th June
When we vote for someone to become our member of parliament, there is an understanding – not always spelled out in so many words – that MPs are there to represent us, their constituents, and once in parliament, to represent the interests of the country. If they assume office of some kind, they will of course have many meetings with interested parties and discussions with other countries. But all along is the principle that it is our nation which is being represented and the public at large being protected.
In recent years there has been a rising tide of concern about outside influence and role of think tanks and lobbyists. Basically the system is not working according to Transparency International and only 4% of lobbyists are registered making the legislation meaningless. Collectively, they spend millions of parlaying their influence and often the question is who is funding them? Much of their funding is opaque but is believed to be American commercial interests pushing against climate change, fighting hard not to see controls on their media platforms and for us to leave the European Convention. The egregious payment of £5m to Nigel Farage (which is being investigated) has attracted much media attention but we should not lose sight of the drip, drip of smaller sums into the pockets of our representatives.
Israeli lobbying
Another worry has been the influence of the largest and best funded lobby organisation funded by Israel to promote its interests. They have created a series of ‘Friends of Israel’ groups in all the main parties. There are believed to be 200 such MPs across parties with the predominant membership being Conservative. Over 60 are on the Labour benches.
Many in the public are concerned at the extent of this influence and a petition attracted 118,000 signatures leading to a debate in Westminster hall on 22 June. They called for ‘an inquiry into pro-Israel influence on politics and democracy’. The debate can be read here.
Their influence was immediately felt in the debate. ‘Why is Israel singled out for this kind of enquiry?’ it was asked. Why not the Gulf states for example?
Another line of argument was that it echoed historical tropes of hidden Jewish control and allegations of poisoning wells during the time of the Black Death for example and the infamous ‘blood libel’. Needless to say, the anti-Semitism allegation was made by Richard Tice among others. The frightening effect of these allegations on Jewish people was also mentioned.
“This motion is antisemitic in its very motivation and at its core. As such, we should utterly reject it”
Richard Tice (Reform).
A consistent problem has been the confusion between anti-Semitism and legitimate criticism of Israel. It has been argued that there is a degree of overreach as far the former is concerned. Much use has been made of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition. As the Jewish academic Omer Bartov explains in his book Israel: What Went Wrong? (Fern Press, 2026) ‘The IHRA definition was the product of a European effort to promote Holocaust remembrance and education: it was never meant to serve as a basis for legislation and enforcement, but it has nonetheless morphed into an instrument for silencing criticism by law and duress’ (p58).
Anti Semitism definition criticised
The IHRA provides 11 examples of what might be termed ‘anti-Semitic’ but as Bartov points out, however objectionable some of such statements [in the IHRA list] may be ‘they are not, in and of themselves’ antisemitic (ibid).’ Herein lies the problem seemingly swallowed by several of the MPs making their speeches: legitimate criticism of Israel and their disproportionate destruction of Gaza and south Lebanon, and their policy of killing children, is by this definition, anti-Semitic. We argue it is not.
The Debate
The debate itself was disappointing for its lack of any kind of forensic analysis or the setting out of facts about the terrible events which took place on October 7th and subsequently. Absent were any references to the bloodthirsty comments by leading Israeli politicians – not extremist firebrands – but members of the Knesset and Likud politicians. The deputy Speaker of the Knesset Nissim Vaturi for example, suggested ‘we need to separate the children of the women and kill the adults in Gaza’ (ibid p128). There are many such repulsive statements from politicians like Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and others.
‘Why only Israel’ was the cry from several MPs? We can sympathise to an extent with this question which is probably due to our short attention spans and a media which finds it hard to fund overseas reporters. Little is heard about the fearful abuse of Uyghurs in China, or the continuing persecution being carried out by the Junta in Myanmar, and Sudan has quietly slid out of the news. Ukraine is in and out of the news.
Circular argument
There is a degree of circularity in the argument however. Because Israel is seen as some kind of beacon of Western values in the Middle East, the only democracy it is claimed and an example of a brave little country surrounded by Moslem states some bent on its destruction: when it is seen to violate those norms of behaviour, there is a reaction. The demolition of entire apartment blocks because they claim there is a Hamas control centre within, or a member of Hezbollah in south Lebanon (a policy even President Trump is finding hard to accept) the seizing and confinement, torture and mistreatment of medical staff and hundreds of children, the destruction – the wanton destruction – of water treatment and other infrastructure like hospitals and schools and the deliberate policy of withholding food aid and medical supplies, the seizure of all cultivable land in Gaza, even with the enfeebled reporting by British media, some of this has seeped into the consciences of the British people. Which has led over a hundred thousand to ask has our political class been corrupted by an Israel lobbying organisation? In short, if you want to be regarded as a beacon of Western values then you must behave like one.
One issue which emerged, albeit briefly, was the question of Elbit Systems a firm based in Britain with 16 facilities. It has considerable support from the British government and the firm is engaged in joint ventures with UK firms to build drones. It is these drones which inflict such damage on people in the area and our continued support for the firm, the political cover given them and the draconian treatment of protestors which has caused resentment among many. It was noted that the firm has easy access to ministers and civil servants, ‘in and out like a cat flap’ someone said.
An issue not debated was the funding of trips to Israel. As Declassified has revealed these are considerable in number. Conservative Friends of Israel has funded no less than 155 trips in a decade more than any other government. What are the MPs seeing and been shown? It is not clear. The prisons where boys are badly treated? Unlikely. The ruins of hospitals, schools and the like in Gaza? Probably not. The villages attacked and burned by settlers on the West Bank? Improbable.
Was the debate enlightening? Yes and no. About the issue in question and the undue influence on policy and support for Israel which seems unconditional and not influenced in any meaningful way by the atrocities carried on there, the answer is ‘no’. A debate built around the never-ending anti-Semitism claims about any or all criticism of Israel the state and the IDF was never going to enlighten us or them.
About the lack of transparency and the role played by powerful and well-funded lobby organisations of which Israel is thought to be the largest and best funded, the answer is ‘yes’. It has enabled the government to continue its support for Israel unimpeded by much in the way of questioning or obstruction from its back benchers or the opposition significant numbers of whom are members of one or other of the Friends groups. It was David Cameron, the ex-prime minister who, after the Greensill scandal that ruined his reputation, said Lobbying was the ‘next big scandal waiting to happen’. It is continuous and is in fact a perma scandal. The debate is but another example of how our parliamentary system has been corrupted by outside influence. The very lack of insightful debate and lack of facts was revealing in itself. Only one MP in the debate declared his interest as a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel.
The ending
The end was interesting: Richard Tice MP again ‘Now that we have debated this appalling motion, is there a minimum timeframe before we have to debate it again?‘ To which the reply was in part ‘When reflecting on how this debate has gone, and more widely on how the Jewish community in particular has reacted to the petition, I would certainly argue that it should not come back for another debate, even if it reached that threshold. We have had an opportunity to air our views, and we have collectively called it out for what it is’ (John Lamont MP). Mr Lamont is a member of the CFI which he did not declare and does not appear on the They Work For You website under ‘Register of Interests’ [accessed 27 June 2026].
The tragedy of all this is that these ‘friends’ are not in the final analysis, doing Israel any favours. Peace and stability will only come to the region and to Israel if it can live and work with its neighbours. Simply arming and supporting a thuggish regime bent on war, destruction and killing is not in its best interests. Unless it completely destroys the entire population of Gaza – total genocide that is – there will be a residue of bitter resentment of a people treated so harshly and so cruelly that revenge inevitably will be a prime motive. Those parliamentarians are thus twice guilty: allowing themselves to beguiled into an uncritical support of a brutal regime and secondly, not in fact acting as they should as honest critics to the Israeli government to counsel a non lethal approach to every problem.
[letter in the Guardian, 29th June]
Israel’s actions are fuelling antisemitism around the world | Israel | The Guardian
We are shortly to have a new prime minister and one hopes that he or she will address the issue of corruption and undue influence head on. Trust in our politicians will only be reclaimed if the issue of lobbying and its pernicious effects are forcefully tackled. Meanwhile, Israel if free to continue its violent actions safe in the knowledge that the UK parliament has been successfully tamed. John Glen, the Conservative member of parliament for Salisbury, is a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI). Full list of all MPs believed to be members of Friends of Israel.
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 