UK DOCUMENTARY PEDDLES CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT THE ZIONIST LOBBY

Posted By on November 16th, 2009

http://www.robinshepherdonline.com/

Top British documentary makers peddle conspiracy theory about secretive Zionist lobby ahead of landmark TV show
You know the old line about the racist who prefaces a torrent of racially charged abuse with the words: “I’m not a racist, but…”? Something similar about conspiracy theories could be said about the makers of a landmark documentary due to be aired this evening on Britain’s Channel 4 Television alleging that a secretive group of Zionists (just “Zionists”, not Jews you understand) has got hold of Britain’s main political parties and is manipulating them to spew pro-Israeli propaganda.

Writing about their documentary in the Guardian (where else?), Peter Oborne, a columnist for the Daily Mail, and television journalist James Jones are, of course, anxious that they should not actually be labelled as conspiracy theorists and seek to pre-empt such charges thus: “It is important to say what we did not find,” they tell us nervously. “There is no conspiracy, and nothing resembling a conspiracy.”

Except that their entire piece makes it quite clear that a conspiracy is precisely what is being alleged.

It is asserted, for example, that Conservative Party leader David Cameron this year gave a keynote address at the Conservative Friends of Israel’s annual dinner in the wake of the Gaza operation. The authors say:

“The dominant event of the previous 12 months had been the Israeli invasion of Gaza. We were shocked Cameron made no reference in his speech to the massive destruction it caused, or the 1,370 deaths that resulted, or for that matter the invasion itself. Indeed, our likely future prime minister went out of his way to praise Israel because it “strives to protect innocent life”. This remark was not intended satirically.”

Since it is obvious that no sane and rational person could possibly praise Israel in such terms, the authors conclude that darker forces must be at work.

“…what are the rules of British political behaviour that cause the Tory leader, his mass of MPs and parliamentary candidates to flock to the Friends of Israel lunch in the year of the Gaza invasion?” they ask incredulously. What could it be?

“During an investigation lasting several months,” they tell us, “we have been able to reach several important conclusions. We maintain there is indeed a pro-Israel lobby in Britain. It is extremely well-connected and well-funded, and works through all the main political parties.”

We later learn that “those in many sensitive foreign affairs, defence and intelligence posts in the Commons are often Labour or Conservative Friends of Israel.”

But there’s more.

“Meanwhile, a parallel operation is carried on against media organisations that criticise Israel’s foreign policy. In particular, the Guardian and the BBC suffer from a barrage of complaints and emails, many from outside the UK. The BBC has proved unable to cope.”

And, they conclude:

“The pro-Israel lobby, in common with other lobbies, has every right to operate and indeed to flourish in Britain. But it needs to be far more open about how it is funded and what it does. This is partly because the present obscurity surrounding it can, paradoxically, give rise to conspiracy theories that have no basis in fact. But it is mainly because politics in a democracy should never take place behind closed doors. It should be out in the open for all to see.”

So, while ignoring the weasel words of concern about the sorts of sentiments their documentary will inevitably enflame let alone the preposterous premise that the British political establishment is somehow pro-Israeli, let’s take stock of this.

The authors charge that British politicians (and media), are being manipulated into saying and doing things about Israel that they otherwise would not. The reason for this is that a wealthy group of Zionists has sunk its claws deep into Britain’s political parties. They operate in “obscurity” and sometimes from “outside the UK”: in other words they are secretive and operate behind the scenes.

Here is the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of a conspiracy:

“A combination of persons for an evil or unlawful purpose; an agreement between two or more to do something criminal, illegal or reprehensible.” When we talk about “conspiracy theories” we usually also mean or imply that there is something secretive going on. Its participants are not being completely open. Something reprehensible is happening and it is largely or wholly concealed from view. In the specific case of alleged Jewish conspiracies there are usually additional hints that large amounts of money is involved and that a part of the conspiracy emanates from abroad.

Oborne and Jones are peddling a conspiracy theory. QED.
——

To read the piece in full and make up your own mind, click here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/nov/16/israel-friends-lobby-uk-politicians

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