Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre

Last updated

British Israel Communication and Research Centre
Founded2002
Founder Poju Zabludowicz
Type Non-profit
NGO
Location
Chief Executive
Richard Pater

The Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) is a UK-based organisation which acts to promote awareness of Israel and the Middle East in the United Kingdom. BICOM publishes materials such as briefings and a journal, Fathom, covering the history, economy, culture and politics of Israel, Middle East peace plans, terrorism in the Middle East, UK-Israel relations and foreign policy.

Contents

History

After the outbreak of the Second Intifada, British Jews founded the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) to promote a more supportive environment for Israel in the UK, principally through work with the media. [1]

In 2005, Ruth Smeeth joined as director of public affairs and campaigns. [2]

In 2009, it was described as "one of the most persistent and slickest media operations in the battle for influence over opinion formers". [3]

We Believe in Israel

We Believe in Israel is BICOM's pro-Israel advocacy organization in the United Kingdom. The current director is former Labour councillor Luke Akehurst. [4] We Believe in Israel provides learning materials [5] to both the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the United Synagogue. [6]

It is a member of the Jewish Leadership Council. [6]

According to their website, We Believe in Israel was launched following the We Believe in Israel Conference in London in May 2011, supported by 26 community organisations and attended by 1500 delegates. [7]

In the 2010s, the group asked The Co-operative Group to reverse its decision to boycott certain Israeli products. [8]

Fathom journal

In November 2012, BICOM launched Fathom, a quarterly online scholarly journal edited by Professor Alan Johnson and deputy edited by scholar Toby Greene. According to Johnson. the journal would present a wide range of voices and seek to "paint an honest and nuanced portrait of Israel as it is, even if not always flattering." [9] As of 2014, Fathom had 30,000 readers, mostly in the UK, but also in Europe, the United States, and Israel. As an adjunct to the journal, BICOM ran Fathom seminars for members of the think tank community, academics, and policymakers. [10]

Contributors to Fathom include journalists David Landau and Aluf Benn of Haaretz , Dave Rich, scholar David Hirsh, and author Steven Lee Beeber. [10]

Martin Sherman of the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies accused Fathom in 2016 of "stifling debate" by refusing to publish articles by writers who oppose the two-state solution from an Israeli right wing perspective. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a lobbying group that advocates pro-Israel policies to the legislative and executive branches of the United States. One of several pro-Israel lobbying organizations in the United States, AIPAC states that it has over 3 million members, 17 regional offices, and "a vast pool of donors". The organization has been called one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Ross</span> American diplomat

Dennis B. Ross is an American diplomat and author. He served as the Director of Policy Planning in the State Department under President George H. W. Bush, the special Middle East coordinator under President Bill Clinton, and was a special adviser for the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Ross is currently a fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a pro-Israel think tank, and co-chairs the Jewish People Policy Institute's board of directors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Synagogue</span> Union of British Orthodox Jewish synagogues

The United Synagogue (US) is a union of British Orthodox Jewish synagogues, representing the central Orthodox movement in Judaism. With 62 congregations, comprising 40,000 members, it is the largest synagogue body in Europe. The spiritual leader of the union is the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth – a title that bears some formal recognition by the Crown, even though his rabbinical authority is recognised by only slightly more than half of British Jews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yachad (NGO)</span> Jewish NGO in the United Kingdom (est. 2011)

Yachad is a non-governmental organization based in the United Kingdom. It describes itself as "pro-Israel, pro-peace".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labour Friends of Israel</span> Parlimentarian group in UK supporting closer ties with Israel

Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) is a group in the Parliament of the United Kingdom that advocates a strong bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and Israel, and seeks to strengthen ties between the British Labour Party and the Israeli Labor Party. LFI says it supports a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, with Israel recognised and secure within its borders, and the establishment of a viable Palestinian state. As of July 2020, it comprises around one quarter of the Parliamentary Labour Party and one third of the Shadow Cabinet.

Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) is a British parliamentary group affiliated to the Conservative Party, which is dedicated to strengthening business, cultural and political ties between the United Kingdom and Israel, as well as between the British Conservative Party and the Israeli Likud party.

The Arab lobby in the United States is a collection of formal and informal groups and professional lobbyists in the United States paid directly by Gulf Arab states and private donors on behalf of the Arab states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel lobby in the United States</span> Pro-Israel American individuals and groups

The Israel lobby are individuals and groups seeking to influence the United States government to better serve Israel's interests. The largest pro-Israel lobbying group is Christians United for Israel with over seven million members. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is a leading organization within the lobby, speaking on behalf of a coalition of pro-Israel American Jewish groups.

Chaim "Poju" Zabludowicz is a Finnish-British-Israeli billionaire businessman, art collector and philanthropist.

The Israel lobby in the United Kingdom are individuals and groups seeking to influence the foreign policy of the United Kingdom in favour of bilateral ties with Israel, Zionism, Israel, or the policies of the Israeli government. As any lobby, such individuals and groups may seek to influence politicians and political parties, the media, the general public or specific groups or sectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish Leadership Council</span>

The Jewish Leadership Council is an organisation in the United Kingdom, founded in 2003, whose declared aim is to forward the interests of the organised Jewish community in Britain. The council was founded by its first chairman, then president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Henry Grunwald, and a number of other senior UK Jewish leaders. The council acts as an umbrella group for various Jewish community organizations, charities, Zionist and pro-Israel advocacy groups.

David Hirsh is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London, and co-founder of Engage, a campaign against the academic boycott of Israel.

James Petras is a retired Bartle Professor (Emeritus) of Sociology at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York and adjunct professor at Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who has published on political issues with particular focus on Latin America and the Middle East, imperialism, globalization, and leftist social movements.

Alan Johnson is a British political theorist and activist. He is a senior research fellow at the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre. Previously he was Professor of Democratic Theory and Practice at Edge Hill University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel–United Kingdom relations</span> Bilateral relations

Israel–United Kingdom relations, or Anglo-Israeli relations, are the diplomatic and commercial ties between the United Kingdom and Israel. The British embassy to Israel is located in Tel Aviv. The UK has an honorary consul in Eilat and a non-accredited consulate-general in Jerusalem, that represents the United Kingdom in that city and the Palestinian territories. Israel has three representative offices in the United Kingdom: an Embassy located in London and consulates in Cardiff and Glasgow.

The Jewish Labour Movement (JLM), known as Poale Zion (Great Britain) from 1903 to 2004, is one of the oldest socialist societies affiliated to the UK Labour Party. It is a member of the progressive coalition of Avodah/Meretz/Arzenu/Ameinu within the World Zionist Organization. Its sister parties are the Israeli Labor Party (Havodah) and Meretz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Jewish Democratic Society</span>

The Australian Jewish Democratic Society (AJDS), a secular organisation, was formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1984 to promote free discussion and action on Jewish and general social and political issues. It grew out of a profound concern at the continuing Arab–Israeli conflict, though some of its members had been active on the left since at least the 1930s in Europe. Others had been born in Israel or Australia, or spent considerable time in Israel. Others came out of the anti-Vietnam war and peace movements. Some key members had strong links to the Israeli peace movement, the Jewish left, Labor Zionism, or other Jewish religious and cultural traditions. More recently, members with strong environmental concerns have become active.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criticism of Israel</span> Disapproval towards the Israeli government

Criticism of Israel is a subject of journalistic and scholarly commentary and research within the scope of international relations theory, expressed in terms of political science. Israel has faced international criticism since its establishment in 1948 relating to a variety of issues, many of which are centered around human rights violations in its occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Smeeth</span> British Labour politician

Ruth Lauren Smeeth, Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke-on-Trent North from 2015 until 2019. Since 2022 she has been a member of the House of Lords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Na'amod</span> British Jewish organisation

Na'amod is a movement of British Jews seeking to end the British Jewish community's support for the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. They state their aim as "to work for freedom, equality and justice for all Palestinians and Israelis". Members are active in many parts of the country including London, Bristol, Manchester, Leicester, Leeds and Newcastle. They estimate they have over 250 members.

References

  1. Greene, Toby (2014). Blair, Labour, and Palestine: Conflicting Views on Middle East Peace After 9/11. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 30. ISBN   978-1628923995.
  2. "Smeeth exits Sodexho for pro-Israel lobby group". PR Week. 9 September 2005. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  3. Syal, Rajeev (4 January 2009). "How the pro-Israel lobby in Britain benefits from a generous London tycoon". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  4. "Why non-Jewish Luke's family has always given support to Israel". Jewish Telegraph .
  5. "We Believe in Israel Essay 2 - Zionism and the foundation of the State of Israel". United Synagogue.
  6. 1 2 "Constituent Members". Jewish Leadership Council. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  7. We Believe in Israel. "Core Values". We Believe in Israel. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  8. We Believe in Israel. "Call on the Co-op Group to end their boycott of certain Israeli companies". We Believe in Israel. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  9. Johnson, Alan; Greene, Toby (7 November 2012). "Founding Fathom: Why do we need another journal about Israel?". Times of Israel. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  10. 1 2 "Introducing BICOM and Fathom: working to provide a more supportive environment for Israel in Britain". Brandeis Center . 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  11. Sherman, Martin (1 April 2016). "Stifling debate - BICOM's blatant bias". Jerusalem Post.