Al Jazeera Investigations – The Lobby P1
00:06
How Israel influences British politics-
00:08
We reveal from the inside how the Israeli Embassy
00:10
penetrates different levels of British democracy in the first of four programmes:
00:14
The Battle for Britain’s Youth
00:20
[sounds of explosions and yelling]
00:22
Following decades of violence
00:24
a new challenge has emerged to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands called BDS.
00:29
[crowd chants] “BDS is here to stay”
00:31
That’s the global movement to boycott, divest, and impose sanctions on Israel,
00:35
and expose it as an apartheid state.
00:38
The Israeli Government has responded with a campaign to rebrand the country’s image.
00:43
[Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu] “The reason we should fight BDS is because it’s wrong. It’s a moral outrage.”
00:48
It’s an operation run by the secretive Ministry of Strategic Affairs.
00:52
“They recruit mainly former intelligence officers.”
00:55
“Its main task is to counter BDS worldwide.”
01:01
Using an undercover reporter, Al Jazeera’s investigative unit exposes Israel’s clandestine activities in London,
01:07
a city that’s become a major battleground.
01:10
“BDS campaign in many ways germinated in Britain.”
01:15
You’ll meet the people working to challenge BDS at every level of British politics.
01:27
One of Israel’s main targets is the Labour party.
01:30
For the first time its leader is a champion of Palestinian civil rights.
01:34
They’d be very happy to see Jeremy Corbyn no longer leader of the Labour party for sure.
01:38
It’s a covert action that penetrates the heart of Britain’s democracy.
01:45
It is outrageous interference in British politics, it shouldn’t be permitted.
01:50
It’s a battle of ideas seeking to change not only how Israel’s portrayed, but even how it is debated.
02:08
Our undercover reporter grew up in Germany and creates an identity as a graduate planning to live in Britain.
02:17
Robin sets himself up in London as an aspiring Labour party activist with strong sympathies toward Israel.
02:31
After over a month of attending party functions, he stood out as a friend of Israel.
02:37
And before long, he recognized a familiar face.
02:53
It’s a meeting of the Labour Friends of Israel or LFI,
02:57
– members of the British Parliament, who lobby for Israel.
03:00
Oh yeah, take the districts
03:04
Shai later explained to Robin the problems the LFI is facing.
03:51
Robin tweeted and wrote articles about Israel and the Labour party, building up his online identity.
03:57
He discovered numerous groups that support Israel –
04:00
– and which identify themselves as independent grassroots movements.
04:05
One is the Sussex Friends Of Israel –
04:09
– who organized a march to protest against the pro-Palestinian movement to boycott Israel.
04:18
Robin had joined them.
04:26
Shai later described the embassy’s role in some of these movements.
04:44
Shai had helped establish a youth group within the Conservative Friends of Israel.
06:03
Alright, thank you very much
06:06
Have a nice evening, right
06:12
Our investigation linked the embassy’s senior political officer with a series of pro-Israel groups –
06:18
– the parliamentary friends of Israel, young conservatives, lobbyists,
06:23
as well as grassroots movements.
06:26
In addition, Shai’s involved with the youth arm of the Fabian Society –
06:30
– an influential Labour party think tank.
07:02
It appears the Israeli diplomat’s’ mission is to build support for Israel at all levels of the Labour party.
07:25
Shai says he knows nearly all the Fabian Society activists.
07:47
Martin Edobor explains how foreign governments’ support helps the Fabian membership.
08:09
I went on one of the trips of the Conservative Friends of Israel to the Middle East.
08:14
It was brilliantly well arranged, very well looked after.
08:17
You got fantastic access. You did meet Palestinians.
08:21
If all you did was rely on that one trip, you would get a very one-sided point of view.
08:39
According to Haaretz newspaper, Israel, which controls all water sources in the Occupied West Bank,
08:45
– did cut supplies, even if the reason was contested.
09:00
Our undercover reporter discovered that Shai Masot played a role in another key Labour party organization –
09:06
– The Jewish Labour Movement, or JLM.
09:09
Robin attended a summer barbecue organized by the JLM.
09:15
Much of the small talk turned to the Israeli embassy.
11:05
What came next surprised our undercover reporter.
11:13
Shai had asked Robin to become part of the Israeli Embassy’s plan to attract young Labour party members.
11:47
Shai then suggested that as well as setting up the Young LFI, Robin apply for a job at the Israeli embassy.
11:55
He was invited to a private meeting at a London hotel.
12:01
It included embassy staff and British supporters of Israel.
12:06
An Israeli diplomat takes Robin to one side.
12:39
Ella Rose, the new director of the Jewish Labour Movement, was pleased to hear –
12:43
– of Robin’s plans to set up a Young LFI.
12:56
The guest of honour: a minister from the Israeli government.
13:21
The primary role of Israel’s Strategic Affairs Ministry is to counter the BDS movement.
13:52
During another meeting with the embassy’s senior political officer,
13:56
Shai tutors Robin on setting up a new pro-Israel group.
16:25
The LFI appears to be looking beyond Labour’s present set of MPs.
16:46
Robin tells him about the Israeli Embassy’s interest in recruiting him.
16:59
He gave an example of how a job at the embassy could further a career in British politics.
17:42
Round about the same time the JLM –
17:44
– re-emerged under the leadership of Jeremy Newmark,
17:47
– who would later hire Ella Rose as the director of the JLM.
17:52
The big story was about a young student in Oxford, who made allegations –
17:56
– that the Labour party and most of the student left at Oxford was anti-Semitic.
18:01
He didn’t present any evidence at all. The only thing he said was –
18:04
– that they had promoted the Israel Apartheid Week,
18:07
– which is a well-known event which takes place on campuses around the world.
18:12
The national chairman of Labour Students at that time was Michael Rubin.
18:30
There was lots of media leaks and talks about
18:32
how anti-Semitism was being covered up.
18:37
British newspapers repeatedly ran stories of anti-Semitism in the Labour party.
18:44
One of the next targets was Malia Bouattia, the newly elected leader of Britain’s National Union of Students.
19:24
Palestine, Palestine.
19:26
With each year of Israel’s expanding occupation, support for BDS has spread –
19:30
– on college campuses around the world.
19:33
In Britain, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict defined the 2016 election for the NUS presidency.
19:41
But Israel, where it exists now, is that problematic to you?
19:46
Israel as it behaves, is problematic to me.
19:52
You would feel it would be O.K. for you to say about yourself that you are anti-Zionist?
19:56
Yes, I would.
20:23
Another vice president, Richard Brooks, took the unusual step of publicly claiming that Bouttia’s criticisms –
20:29
– of Israel amount to anti-Semitism.
20:47
When you look at what Malia Bouttia has been saying – she says… it’s… her criticisms are political ones.
20:53
She talks about Zionism, not about people who are Jewish.
20:56
Yeah, I think that the really important thing here, and something that student movement needs to face up to,
21:00
is that it is for Jewish students to find what anti-Semitism is in the run up to national conference.
21:05
Nearly 50 union of Jewish student presidents of societies made it clear that they had concerns about some of the rhetoric.
21:11
Brooks never mentioned that weeks before that interview,
21:14
– he’d been taken to Israel as part of a delegation from the Union of Jewish Students.
21:56
During the runup to the election, Richard Brooks had held private meetings with Russell Langer,
22:01
the campaign director of the Union of Jewish Students.
22:04
Also attending the meetings was Michael Rubin.
22:24
After being introduced by the Israeli Embassy as a Young LFI volunteer,
22:29
– our undercover reporter explores the possibility of ousting the pro-Palestinian NUS president –
22:35
– with the help of Richard Brooks.
22:55
Our investigation also revealed that the UJS, who sent critics of Malia Bouttia on trips to Israel,
23:02
– has received money from the Israeli Embassy.
23:28
In 2016, Schapira launched an unsuccessful bid for the presidency of the UJS.
23:36
He also received donations from Israel to set up a new campus-based think tank.
23:40
He established a Pinsker Centre with former University College student Elliot Miller.
24:12
They also confirmed for the first time that the powerful American pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC,
24:18
– is channelling money to British campuses through the Pinsker Centre.
24:29
Elliot Miller remains vocal in the cauldron of London student politics.
25:28
In episode two: further evidence of Israel’s involvement in Britain’s Labour party.
25:38
And the money Israel gives Labour MPs to help improve its image.
How Israel influences British politics-
00:08
We reveal from the inside how the Israeli Embassy
00:10
penetrates different levels of British democracy in the first of four programmes:
00:14
The Battle for Britain’s Youth
00:20
[sounds of explosions and yelling]
00:22
Following decades of violence
00:24
a new challenge has emerged to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands called BDS.
00:29
[crowd chants] “BDS is here to stay”
00:31
That’s the global movement to boycott, divest, and impose sanctions on Israel,
00:35
and expose it as an apartheid state.
00:38
The Israeli Government has responded with a campaign to rebrand the country’s image.
00:43
[Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu] “The reason we should fight BDS is because it’s wrong. It’s a moral outrage.”
00:48
It’s an operation run by the secretive Ministry of Strategic Affairs.
00:52
“They recruit mainly former intelligence officers.”
00:55
“Its main task is to counter BDS worldwide.”
01:01
Using an undercover reporter, Al Jazeera’s investigative unit exposes Israel’s clandestine activities in London,
01:07
a city that’s become a major battleground.
01:10
“BDS campaign in many ways germinated in Britain.”
01:15
You’ll meet the people working to challenge BDS at every level of British politics.
01:27
One of Israel’s main targets is the Labour party.
01:30
For the first time its leader is a champion of Palestinian civil rights.
01:34
They’d be very happy to see Jeremy Corbyn no longer leader of the Labour party for sure.
01:38
It’s a covert action that penetrates the heart of Britain’s democracy.
01:45
It is outrageous interference in British politics, it shouldn’t be permitted.
01:50
It’s a battle of ideas seeking to change not only how Israel’s portrayed, but even how it is debated.
02:08
Our undercover reporter grew up in Germany and creates an identity as a graduate planning to live in Britain.
02:17
Robin sets himself up in London as an aspiring Labour party activist with strong sympathies toward Israel.
02:31
After over a month of attending party functions, he stood out as a friend of Israel.
02:37
And before long, he recognized a familiar face.
02:53
It’s a meeting of the Labour Friends of Israel or LFI,
02:57
– members of the British Parliament, who lobby for Israel.
03:00
Oh yeah, take the districts
03:04
Shai later explained to Robin the problems the LFI is facing.
03:51
Robin tweeted and wrote articles about Israel and the Labour party, building up his online identity.
03:57
He discovered numerous groups that support Israel –
04:00
– and which identify themselves as independent grassroots movements.
04:05
One is the Sussex Friends Of Israel –
04:09
– who organized a march to protest against the pro-Palestinian movement to boycott Israel.
04:18
Robin had joined them.
04:26
Shai later described the embassy’s role in some of these movements.
04:44
Shai had helped establish a youth group within the Conservative Friends of Israel.
06:03
Alright, thank you very much
06:06
Have a nice evening, right
06:12
Our investigation linked the embassy’s senior political officer with a series of pro-Israel groups –
06:18
– the parliamentary friends of Israel, young conservatives, lobbyists,
06:23
as well as grassroots movements.
06:26
In addition, Shai’s involved with the youth arm of the Fabian Society –
06:30
– an influential Labour party think tank.
07:02
It appears the Israeli diplomat’s’ mission is to build support for Israel at all levels of the Labour party.
07:25
Shai says he knows nearly all the Fabian Society activists.
07:47
Martin Edobor explains how foreign governments’ support helps the Fabian membership.
08:09
I went on one of the trips of the Conservative Friends of Israel to the Middle East.
08:14
It was brilliantly well arranged, very well looked after.
08:17
You got fantastic access. You did meet Palestinians.
08:21
If all you did was rely on that one trip, you would get a very one-sided point of view.
08:39
According to Haaretz newspaper, Israel, which controls all water sources in the Occupied West Bank,
08:45
– did cut supplies, even if the reason was contested.
09:00
Our undercover reporter discovered that Shai Masot played a role in another key Labour party organization –
09:06
– The Jewish Labour Movement, or JLM.
09:09
Robin attended a summer barbecue organized by the JLM.
09:15
Much of the small talk turned to the Israeli embassy.
11:05
What came next surprised our undercover reporter.
11:13
Shai had asked Robin to become part of the Israeli Embassy’s plan to attract young Labour party members.
11:47
Shai then suggested that as well as setting up the Young LFI, Robin apply for a job at the Israeli embassy.
11:55
He was invited to a private meeting at a London hotel.
12:01
It included embassy staff and British supporters of Israel.
12:06
An Israeli diplomat takes Robin to one side.
12:39
Ella Rose, the new director of the Jewish Labour Movement, was pleased to hear –
12:43
– of Robin’s plans to set up a Young LFI.
12:56
The guest of honour: a minister from the Israeli government.
13:21
The primary role of Israel’s Strategic Affairs Ministry is to counter the BDS movement.
13:52
During another meeting with the embassy’s senior political officer,
13:56
Shai tutors Robin on setting up a new pro-Israel group.
16:25
The LFI appears to be looking beyond Labour’s present set of MPs.
16:46
Robin tells him about the Israeli Embassy’s interest in recruiting him.
16:59
He gave an example of how a job at the embassy could further a career in British politics.
17:42
Round about the same time the JLM –
17:44
– re-emerged under the leadership of Jeremy Newmark,
17:47
– who would later hire Ella Rose as the director of the JLM.
17:52
The big story was about a young student in Oxford, who made allegations –
17:56
– that the Labour party and most of the student left at Oxford was anti-Semitic.
18:01
He didn’t present any evidence at all. The only thing he said was –
18:04
– that they had promoted the Israel Apartheid Week,
18:07
– which is a well-known event which takes place on campuses around the world.
18:12
The national chairman of Labour Students at that time was Michael Rubin.
18:30
There was lots of media leaks and talks about
18:32
how anti-Semitism was being covered up.
18:37
British newspapers repeatedly ran stories of anti-Semitism in the Labour party.
18:44
One of the next targets was Malia Bouattia, the newly elected leader of Britain’s National Union of Students.
19:24
Palestine, Palestine.
19:26
With each year of Israel’s expanding occupation, support for BDS has spread –
19:30
– on college campuses around the world.
19:33
In Britain, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict defined the 2016 election for the NUS presidency.
19:41
But Israel, where it exists now, is that problematic to you?
19:46
Israel as it behaves, is problematic to me.
19:52
You would feel it would be O.K. for you to say about yourself that you are anti-Zionist?
19:56
Yes, I would.
20:23
Another vice president, Richard Brooks, took the unusual step of publicly claiming that Bouttia’s criticisms –
20:29
– of Israel amount to anti-Semitism.
20:47
When you look at what Malia Bouttia has been saying – she says… it’s… her criticisms are political ones.
20:53
She talks about Zionism, not about people who are Jewish.
20:56
Yeah, I think that the really important thing here, and something that student movement needs to face up to,
21:00
is that it is for Jewish students to find what anti-Semitism is in the run up to national conference.
21:05
Nearly 50 union of Jewish student presidents of societies made it clear that they had concerns about some of the rhetoric.
21:11
Brooks never mentioned that weeks before that interview,
21:14
– he’d been taken to Israel as part of a delegation from the Union of Jewish Students.
21:56
During the runup to the election, Richard Brooks had held private meetings with Russell Langer,
22:01
the campaign director of the Union of Jewish Students.
22:04
Also attending the meetings was Michael Rubin.
22:24
After being introduced by the Israeli Embassy as a Young LFI volunteer,
22:29
– our undercover reporter explores the possibility of ousting the pro-Palestinian NUS president –
22:35
– with the help of Richard Brooks.
22:55
Our investigation also revealed that the UJS, who sent critics of Malia Bouttia on trips to Israel,
23:02
– has received money from the Israeli Embassy.
23:28
In 2016, Schapira launched an unsuccessful bid for the presidency of the UJS.
23:36
He also received donations from Israel to set up a new campus-based think tank.
23:40
He established a Pinsker Centre with former University College student Elliot Miller.
24:12
They also confirmed for the first time that the powerful American pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC,
24:18
– is channelling money to British campuses through the Pinsker Centre.
24:29
Elliot Miller remains vocal in the cauldron of London student politics.
25:28
In episode two: further evidence of Israel’s involvement in Britain’s Labour party.
25:38
And the money Israel gives Labour MPs to help improve its image.
— source aljazeera.com