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Poster hanging in Russell Square (London) since 2007
Anti-Semitism Spreads to the UK
By: Yaffa Fredrick, Great Britain – January 2010
Anti-Semitism is not just an issue in Mahmoud Ahmadenijad’s Iran—it’s become a rampant epidemic that is spreading across the globe. There have been boycotts throughout Europe against companies supporting the state of Israel – including Estee Lauder and IBM – and anti-Semitism has also silenced Israeli prime ministers from being invited to speak at leading universities in both Canada and the U.S.
But anti-Semitism has also appeared in a most unlikely place – namely, the halls of British Parliament. It is because of this that Tzipi Livni, leader of Kadima, the opposition party in Israel, did not board a plane to London where she was scheduled to deliver a speech to the Jewish National Fund Conference.
But it wasn’t anti-Semitism that caused her to postpone her trip. Rather, under Great Britain’s doctrine of “universal jurisdiction,” British officials can try any foreign citizen for crimes committed on foreign land. Livni, then foreign minister and one of the chief architects of the Gaza invasion, was accused of committing war crimes against the Palestinian people last January. One step onto British soil, and she faced the possibility of trial—and likely a conviction.
Though both Prime Minister Gordon Brown and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband quickly condemned the arrest of this foreign diplomat, proclaiming that Livni would always be a welcome visitor in the United Kingdom, a warrant was nonetheless issued and this action is posing a significant threat to British-Israeli diplomatic relations.
Some might question the cause of what appears to be a rather abrupt and unexpected allegation. There are those that point to Israel’s offensive in Gaza, in which a disparate number of Palestinians died in relation to Israelis. No longer resembling the David, Israel is now seen by many influential legislators as the Goliath in the conflict—and a Goliath with more military might than any unorganized Palestinian government can counter.
But many British students do not consider the attack quite so unprecedented. In fact, some even argue that there is a pre-existing pattern of anti-Semitism, often taking the form of anti-Zionism, in the country’s recent history.
“Livni is not the first Israeli official to be accused of war crimes in the UK. Ehud Barak experienced similar legal frustrations only a few months back,” said Adam Parker, a third year student at Oxford University. “And these two officials are not likely to be the last to face the wrath of the British legal system.”
British and Spanish forces first spearheaded the system of universal jurisdiction in the late 1990s. Seeking to bring former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet to trial, Spanish officials issued a warrant for Pinochet, while British authorities kept the dictator under house arrest for two subsequent years.
In 2000, the British released Pinochet on medical grounds. Since then pro-Palestinian forces in the United Kingdom have sought to use similar measures to bring Israeli officials to “justice.”
Eugene Rogan, director of the Middle East Center at Oxford University, notes that this pattern of legal action is only detrimental to global diplomacy, as it inhibits political leaders from traveling freely. With the threat of arrest, Israeli leaders may hesitate to frequent Great Britain and engage in crucial conversations about the Middle Eastern peace process.
The question then remains – how committed to the peace process are the British? Unlike the United States, which is an established presence in nearly every Arab-Israeli negotiating room, the British have become a less visible partner. Many British politicians, in contrast, seem to be ready to condemn Israeli action at a moment’s notice.
In recent weeks, members of the British Parliament requested that all Israeli products made beyond the Green Line be marked as such. In doing so, they hoped to limit the number of goods purchased from the ever-controversial Israeli settlements.
By taking a stand against the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, by targeting the heart of the Israeli economy, many members of Parliament hope to send a clear message to the conservative Israeli government—the West will not tolerate any roadblocks to peace. And settlements are seen as a primary agitator in negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.
The Israeli response certainly has not helped in mitigating British concerns. Forty-two members of the Israeli Parliament threatened a boycott of British goods, claiming that Israel could still thrive in the absence of Marks & Spencer and Topshop.
The British, like many other European countries, were not pleased. Even if anti-Zionism has become a constant in British politics, as many students have claimed, Israeli complacency only exacerbates the problem, adding the metaphorical fuel to the flame.
Israeli officials may not want to halt West Bank settlement completely, “but placing the breaks on the speed of expansion may be just what the doctor called for,” said Michael Newman,* a second year at Oxford University.
In other words, Israel needs to demonstrate it is willing to compromise— to make sacrifices not just for the sake of a temporary truce, but with the intention of bringing about long term solutions that can be backed by influential governments, such as that of Great Britain. Otherwise boycotts and arrest warrants may become the norm, not just in England, but also around the world.
*Name has been changed on request.
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The term is “anti-Semitic,” not “anti-semitate.” If you are going to make an argument about freedom of expression, at least speak grammatically and with the appropriate terminology.
Also, there is a fine line between being critical of the Israeli government and being anti-Semitic. The media and coy political leaders have a tendency to manipulate the distinction. In this article I chose to address the manipulation and potential repercussions for both the British and the Israeli communities. And since this article has been published, the British government has revoked the right of universal jurisdiction, recognizing that such manipulation has reached unspeakable heights.
Anytime someone has anything to say about Israel and the Jewish community they get all “anti-semitate.” Get over yourself. Facts are we the people have a choice and if some want to boycott your country’s products, good for them. Freedom of choice!
This is great! Finally someone willing to report real facts.