There's bad blood between Israel and Britain ever since the latter broke rank with the Judeofascists on the proper course of action vis-a-vis Iran.... Whereas Judeofascists in both the US and Israel press for escalating the anti-Iranian campaign, the Brits have sided with the French and the Germans in appeasing Iran.
After the mugging of Lord Levy and the bombing of British interests in Istanbul by the Mossad, Israel appoints a Russian Mafioso as its next ambassador in the UK --what's next? The bombing of a British airliner en route to Egypt?
Israeli envoy snub to British Jews
Israel snubs British Jews with appointment of ambassador
Chris McGreal in Jerusalem
Monday January 19, 2004
The Guardian
The Israeli government yesterday overrode objections from Britain's Jewish community and appointed a new ambassador to London whose selection has been described as an "insult" because he is said to lack diplomatic experience and speak poor English.
Leading British Jews have been lobbying for weeks against the political appointment of Zvi Hefetz, a Russian-born lawyer who is a close friend of Ariel Sharon's eldest son and deputy chairman of a pro-Sharon newspaper. They want an experienced diplomat to fill the post.
A delegation from the British Board of Jewish Deputies, which sees poor public relations rather than government policies as the cause of criticism of Israel in Britain, met Mr Sharon in Jerusalem last week. Members pressed for Mr Hefetz to be replaced with a media-savvy envoy able to put across Israel's case in the British press.
But yesterday the Israeli cabinet rebuffed those concerns and voted to dispatch Mr Hefetz, even though some ministers said they were uneasy with the choice.
Mr Hefetz, 47, is a successful businessman who is co-owner of a leading Tel Aviv basketball team and deputy chairman of Maariv, a pro-Sharon newspaper. He is also the lawyer who represents the fugitive Russian media baron, Vladimir Gusinsky.
Alarm bells rang in Britain's Jewish community after Mr Hefetz admitted to a vetting panel that his command of spoken English was limited. There was also unease at his ties to Omri Sharon and the Russian oligarchy.
Some Jewish leaders saw the political appointment of Mr Hefetz as evidence that the Israeli government does not take the choice of ambassador to London sufficiently seriously.
Last week Joy Wolfe, the president of the Manchester Zionist Central Council and a prominent pro-Israel lobbyist, circulated an email to fellow activists. "I am in despair," she wrote. "Will those responsible for diplomatic appointments in the UK never learn? And do they not care that their inappropriate choices are a total insult to those of us who devote a large portion of our lives to trying to promote Israel's good name? If being an ambassador is just a political gift, then it is time many of us voted with our feet and hearts and walked away."
London's Jewish Chronicle ran a fierce editorial against the appointment.
The delegation that met Mr Sharon did not name names to but sought a different appointment. "I did not say a word to the prime minister about Hefetz," said Henry Grunwald, president of the board of deputies. "We did make the point that it is very important that the good case that Israel has to meet so many of the unfair criticisms that are made in the world's media has to be put across well and it is necessary to ensure that spokesmen are proficient in the language they need.
"Obviously there was concern expressed that as important a position as ambassador to the UK must be filled by someone who meets that."
Mr Hefetz will replace another political appointment, Zvi Shtauber, who has also been widely criticised within Britain's Jewish community for his heavily accented English, for rarely appearing in the media and for his poor handling of issues such as the Israeli army's killing of the British peace activist, Tom Hurndall. But he is respected for fighting Israel's corner in the corridors of Whitehall.
However, Israeli officials are angered at what they saw as unreasonable criticism.
"The British Board of Deputies came here and they go to the prime minister and say that they don't see Israeli officials on television, but on the other hand Hanan Ashrawi [the prominent Palestinian negotiator] is always on television," a senior foreign ministry official said. "Ashrawi hasn't been on television for two years. She said she had quit because she can't compete with the Israeli PR machine. When a community sends a delegation here and makes such unserious remarks to the prime minister, do they have the right to tell us how we should run our diplomacy?"
Now Mr Hefetz has been appointed, Britain's Jewish leaders have swung behind him. "I have no doubt the British Jewish community will look forward to welcoming and working with him," Mr Grunwald said.
Yesterday Ms Wolfe said she had sent her email "in an emotional moment" and that she would not follow through on her threat to walk away from lobbying for Israel.
"My long history of support for Zionism and Israel is by far the most important factor and I will obviously continue to help and support Israel in any way I can," she said.
On Friday the Jewish Chronicle dropped its objection to Mr Hefetz after saying it had discovered that he does speak English, albeit with a Russian accent.
guardian.co.uk |
