Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush has praised BICOM’s briefing paper, Labour Party Foreign Policy in the Middle East – an Analysis, which was published today.
Jonathan said: “BICOM’s briefing should be widely read. It is cogent and timely. As the report warns, if past form were to be repeated in Government, this could damage Britain’s interests in the Middle East and around the world. Cosying up to Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, the world’s principal sponsors of terrorism, would threaten Britain’s security. Such countries and groups must be challenged, not indulged.
“Like all political parties, it is up to Labour to convince the UK’s Jews that they are worthy of our support. As we saw in the 2017 General Election, the Jewish community made a clear difference in a series of tight marginal seats. I hope that Labour will read the BICOM briefing carefully and heed its warnings.
“Polls suggest that Labour has alienated almost all the support from Jews in Britain that it previously counted on. It is not too late to turn the tide, but Labour needs urgently to adopt policies that will protect Britain’s security and British jobs, and preserve the relationship with Israel, Britain’s most dependable ally in the Middle East and a key partner in counter-terror, trade and co-operation in the high tech industries of the future.”