Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre

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The Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre or BICOM is a lobby and political action group for the benefit of Israel. The lobby group is bankrolled by its Chairman Poju Zabludowicz[1]. According to the Jewish Chronicle, it has been 'reinvigorated' under the leadership of Lorna Fitzsimons.[2] Its primary activity is to provide daily and weekly briefings on media coverage of Israel -- including MEMRI publications. BICOM plans to concentrate on long-term measures to cultivate relationships and influence decision-makers and media leaders in Europe. BICOM is associated with AIPAC and former Director Daniel Shek stated: "AIPAC is assisting BICOM with developing grassroots networks in Britain and with organizing pro-Israel events similar to AIPAC’s conference, but on a much smaller scale." Furthermore, "There is stronger motivation now than ever for communities to stand up for Israel and stand up for their own,” Shek said. "We want to invest today in things that will matter in five to 10 years."[3]

BICOM's chief executive, until July 2006, was Danny Shek, a high-level official of the Israeli foreign ministry on a two year leave of absence. He was previously the chief spokesman and director of the press division of Israel’s foreign ministry.[4] He left to become the Israeli ambassador to France.[5]

History

The Guardian reported in March 2001 that "Unhappiness with press coverage prompted the formation of the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre, to try to redress the balance."[6]

Its spokesman, Brian Kerner, a conservative in British politics but liberal left in the Israeli context, said: "My own opinion has changed totally. I have gone from being leftwing to supporting a rightwing government.
"Barak offered everything and got a kick in the head for doing so. By offering so much, it encouraged violence.
"The Palestinians respond to strength rather than anything perceived as weakness. The government now is totally united and I think they [the Palestinians] respect it and, frankly, that is very sad.
"[Sharon] has not put a foot wrong so far. There has been restraint. I find it odd that I am now supporting a man a few months ago I would not have considered."[6]

In the New Statesman in January 2002, Dennis Sewell suggested that the support of Shlomo Zabludowicz, undermined BICOM's credibility.[7]

The truth is that the 'Zionist lobby' does exist, but is a clueless bunch. After all, how media-savvy can such lobbyists really be if they allow their operations to be greased by the profits made from Shlomo Zabludowicz's mortars and bombs? Could any funding arrangement be better contrived to confirm left-liberal prejudices about Israel?[7]

In the wake of Operation Defensive Shield, BICOM's director of communications, Nick Conway said in June 2002: "In general, the British press, never an entirely comfortable read for supporters of Israel, has in the last few months become increasingly hostile".[8]

According to the Jerusalem Report, BICOM was one of a number of groups which rejected proposals by a group of young British advertising executives for a high-profile pro-Israel publicity campaign in 2005.[9]

While not disputing the existence of media bias, they argue that StandUp4Israel's tactics would both be painfully expensive and actually serve to alienate British public opinion. "Only pariah states advertise their wares," asserts Brian Kerner, president of the United Jewish Israel Appeal (UJIA), a national pro-Israel charity, and the Cross Community Coordination Group, a body representing over 70 Anglo-Israel organizations that was formed at the start of the intifada. He says StandUp4Israel quoted him a cost-only figure of GBP 750,000 ($ 1.38 million) for the initial campaign, "and I don't know where they thought we would raise those funds."[9]

During the Mohammed Cartoons controversy of 2006, the Daily Mail reported:

A spokesman for the Britain-Israel Communication and Research Centre said last night: 'We agree with Inayat Bunglawala, of the Muslim Council of Britain, that any kind of cartoon that is derogatory to a race or group in a stereotypical way is unacceptable.
'I am sure that he is not being exclusive and that he hopes newspapers across the Middle East take heed of his words and stop the publication of anti-Semitic cartoons and articles which are extremely prevalent across the region.'[10]

Summer Reception at the House of Lords

In June 2006, Bicom held a 'summer reception' for 100 guests at the House of Lords. Chairman and 'main donor' Poju Zabludowicz was there to welcome the guests. Zabludowicz is reported to be 'Widely regarded as at the head of an emerging new wave of British-Jewish leaders'. With a personal fortune of an estimated £2billion, he is head of the Tamares investment group ('whose portfolio includes a large slice of downtown Las Vegas'). He also 'recently' donated £15,000 to the David Cameron-led Conservatives[11]. The Jewish Chronicle reports that one of the invited guests said that the 'Guests on September’s US mission, who hope to meet Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, have been asked to pledge a “five-figure sum”'.

Strategy to Promote Israel

In 2006, Bicom agreed to lead a 3 year multi million pound 'action plan' in collaboration with existing organisations engaged in pro-Israel advocacy which includes the Jewish Leadership Council, the Community Security Trust and 'all three major political Friends of Israel groups'. Their aim is to promote Israel's image whilst also setting an agenda for the entire pro-Israel community. The strategy includes focusing on 'educating' Britain’s leaders about the importance of the shared values between Israel and Britain (promoting Israel as a 'sister society' to the UK[12]) and to 'change perceptions' about Israel through pomoting a focus on aspects such as environmental issues, hi-tech innovations and medical advances. Also pushing 'soft' stories such as the London woman who “married” a dolphin in Eilat[13]. This project was initially 'conceived with notionally unlimited funding'[14].

The collaborative strategy is describes as to combat a “growing threat” to the Jewish state’s legitimacy[15]. However, as Mearsheimer & Walt have stated, critics of Israel's policies stand accussed of anti-semitism and of 'holding Israel to an unfair standard or questioning its right to exist'. They describe these as 'bogus charges' as 'Western critics of Israel hardly ever question its right to exist: they question its behaviour towards the Palestinians, as do Israelis themselves. Nor is Israel being judged unfairly. Israeli treatment of the Palestinians elicits criticism because it is contrary to widely accepted notions of human rights, to international law and to the principle of national self-determination'[16].

The action plan has received 'strong backing' from Israel’s Foreign Ministry who are also involved in a 'task force' (which includes the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Finance and Israel’s advertising industry) to “rebrand” Israel. Major PR firms have also been 'invited to take part'. To 'ensure the global reach for the project', the task force is setting up steering committees in Europe, America and Canada[17]

Briefing the BBC

In 2006, Bicom are reported to have 'been allowed unprecedented access to the BBC to brief the corporation’s news staff on the Middle East'. [18] In a September 2011 email, intended for BICOM's donors, but sent in error to its media lists, BICOM CEO Lorna Fitzsimons stated:

Throughout the weekend, BICOM staff were in contact with a whole host of BBC and SKY news desks and journalists, ensuring that the most objectively favourable line was taken, and offering talking heads, relevant to the stories unfolding. BICOM's Senior Analyst Dr. Noam Leshem, briefed the BBC World News Editorial Board on Saturday afternoon regarding the fall-out from the Israel Egyptian Embassy siege.

BICOM has one of BBC News' key anchors on a bespoke delegation. When planning her very first trip to the region, Sophie Long got in touch with BICOM to see if we could help her out with meeting in the region. Sophie is now spending three days of her trip with BICOM Israel, taking a tour around the Old City, meeting Mark Regev and Dr. Alex Yacobsen, as well as visiting Ramallah and Sderot. [19]

2006 Lebanon War

Following a series of terrorist arrests in the UK which coincided with the 2006 Lebanon War, BICOM criticised suggestions that terrorism in the UK was linked to the conflict in the Middle East. The Jerusalem Post reported:

Ben Novick director of media relations for the Britain-Israel Communications and Research Center said such views "feed into public opinion and violence on the street." He charged that such connections would be wrong because the plot had been being planned for months while Israel had only been fighting in Lebanon for the past few weeks.[20]

Following an open letter from British Muslim leaders which charged that the Iraq War and attacks on civilians in the Middle East were strengthening extremists, the Jerusalem Post" reported:

But Ben Novick director of media relations for the Britain- Israel Communications and Research Center called the links made by the letter "dangerous and wrong also pointing to the timing of the rise of extremism and the history of British foreign policy.
Novick added that while he had been concerned that the connection between foreign policy and terror at home would be made and that it might wash with the media he said he had been relieved by the reaction.
We're very happy that the response from most of the media and the establishment including the government has been favorable." He described that response as confronting the issue "head-on" and standing "resolute" against the view. [21]

During August 2006, a BICOM representative accompanied the newly-appointed Israeli ambassador to Italy, Gideon Meir to a meeting at a synagogue in Stanmore, London, at which the ambassador described the Palestinian administration, run by Hamas, as terrorists and said: "They use their civilians as human shields. They do not care about human lives, but we do."[22]

Independent letters

On 8 September 2006, the Independent carried a leading article by Patrick Cockburn on Gaza.[23] BICOM chief executive Daniel Shek subsequently wrote to the paper stating:

It is a shame that, at a time when there appears to be a glimmer of hope with a possible meeting between Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas, The Independent focused on such negativity and in such a one-sided manner ("A people betrayed by the world", 8 September).
Israel withdrew from the whole of Gaza last summer.
It was a bold and brave step that aimed to move the peace process forward. Rather than seizing the opportunity to rebuild their economy and society, the Palestinians in return increased missile attacks from Gaza, voted in a terrorist organisation that refuses to accept Israel's right to exist, and crossed the border into sovereign Israeli territory, killed Israeli soldiers and captured Corporal Shalit and took him to Gaza. These are the events that have helped to plunge the territory into despair.[24]

On 3 October 2006, the Independent carried a leader criticising international pressure on the Palestinian Authority following a Hamas election victory the previous January.[25]

In response, BICOM's Ben Novick wrote:

It would be hypocritical for any democracy or any liberal newspaper to talk about the importance of democracy and then call for concessions towards a terrorist organisation that flouts international law. As with the expectation in Northern Ireland that Sinn Fein would abandon violence before the political process took over, Hamas must play by the same rules. We must not allow Hamas to make a mockery of true democracy.[26]

Fitzsimmons Appointment

In October 2006, BICOM appointed the former Labour MP for Rochdale, Lorna Fitzsimmons, as CEO after Danny Shek left to become Israeli ambassador to France.[27]

In a Guardian article marking her appointment, Fitzsimmons wrote:

Since 2000, nine fatalities have been caused by Qassam missiles.
Some media have reported the panic these missiles have caused but they downplay the impact because of the small scale of fatalities compared with those on the Palestinian side. My husband, a British soldier, is currently serving a tour of duty in Iraq. His unit has come under mortar fire nearly every night for the past six months. Not many service personnel have been killed by these missiles but every soldier fears that the next one might have his or her name on it. Do you think that a child, a parent or a grandmother in one of the towns bordering Gaza thinks there have been "only" nine fatalities? Can you imagine what that does to a civilian population?[28]

Eilat bombing

Following a suicide bombing in Eilat in January 2007, the Independent reported:

Lorna Fitzsimons, the former Labour MP who heads the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (Bicom) and is on holiday in Eilat, strongly condemned the bombing at a time when Israel had been "moving in the right direction" by transferring tax revenues to Mr Abbas. She added: "The Palestinians need to cease terror and agree to recognise Israel's right to exist. This is a real setback for those of us who believe in Israel's right to live in peace and security next to a Palestinian state." She said that security in Eilat had been tangibly tightened since the blast.[29]

Fitzsimmons on Iran

In February 2007, Fitzsimmons told Australia's ABC that Iran was on the verge of manufacturing highly enriched uranium:

That is the key watershed. There is no return from that point. In other words, you can't get the genie back in the bottle.
I don't think that you can stop it. You might be able to disrupt it, and that's the difference, and it's looking at how far you can go down the line, where you lose the ability to disrupt it.[30]

Guardian letter

In February 2007, Fitzsimmons wrote to the Guardian:

At the age of 16 I closed my Barclays savings account in opposition to the apartheid regime in South Africa, a regime which appalled me at every level. I could never countenance working to promote a country that I thought was akin to that regime, and find it offensive that the suffering of black South Africans could be equated to the current predicament of the Palestinians (Occupied Gaza like apartheid South Africa, says UN report, February 23). Israel is not an apartheid state.[31]

Simpson appointment

In August 2007 the Jewish Chronicle reported:

Paul Simpson... has swapped his job as Labour’s head of corporate communications to join the reinvigorated Israel lobbyist Bicom as head of field operations. He will be a pivotal figure in the coming months, for it will fall to him to motivate and mobilise grass-roots support for Israel. His first task will be to take on the threat of an academic boycott posed by the University and College Union. The appointment is quite a coup for Bicom and speaks volumes for the persuasive powers of the organisation’s chief executive, former Labour MP Lorna Fitzsimons, and the largesse of its chairman and main funder, Poju Zabludowicz.[32]

Leaked Email

In September 2011 Bicom's CEO Lorna Fitzsimons sent an email intended for Bicom's donors to its media lists. The email details Bicom's operations that week in response to anti-Israel protests in Egypt. It boasted that Bicom had 'generated extremely favourable responses' in the UK media, referring to 'contact with a whole host of BBC and SKY news desks and journalists, ensuring that the most objectively favourable line was taken'. It also mentioned contact with the Financial Times leader writer Jonathan Ford and 'regular contact with the Editor at Large of Prospect Magazine, David Goodhart'. [33]

Stop the Boycott

BICOM instigated the Stop the Boycott campaign in order to prevent British Universities boycotting Israeli academic institutions. PR firms Champollion and Populus were hired to promote the campaign[34].

Criticisms

Paul Usiskin, chairman of Peace Now UK, who organized the participation of the "Zionists for Peace" stated:

"BICOM is an agency that promotes Israel right or wrong"[35]

Tim Llewellyn, a former BBC correspondent and Middle East expert had this to say about BICOM:

Organizations such as the British Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) have hundreds of thousands of pounds at their disposal, much of it coming directly from the United States, which sends a third of its whole, global foreign aid budget to Israel's six million citizens (the real figure, including loan guarantees, tax breaks for charities and defence deals, could be as high as $10,000m annually, a sum which puts well into perspective last year's USAID contribution of $8,800,000 to India's population of 1,100m. Or, well over $1,500 per capita for Israelis, about $8.00 for an Indian)[36]
This great flow of funds bypasses most ordinary Israeli citizens and poor and needy Jews in Israel and elsewhere and goes straight to the projection of Zionist causes and colonialism wherever it might be needed. These funds prop up, here in the United Kingdom, not just BICOM, but organizations such as Labour Friends of Israel, close to the heart of Tony Blair, the Jewish Agency (whose raison de vivre is to get as many Jews as possible to go to Israel), the World Zionist Organisation, Paoli Zion, a Labour Party affiliate, the Council of Christians and Jews, which keeps the Church of England leadership at Lambeth Palace in close self-restraint about Israel's crimes against Christians and Christian institutions.[37]

Conservative Friends of Israel/BICOM Links

According to Peter Oborne:

Despite the Conservative Friends of Israel and BICOM not formally merging there is a huge amount of co-ordination. Many of BICOM’s key figures also play roles in the CFI: Trevor Pears, Michael Lewis and Poju Zabludowicz are driving forces behind both lobbies. David Cameron also accepted £20,000 from Trevor Pears in his leadership election[38].

  • Martin Bright – journalist with the New Statesman; traveled to Israel in May 2008. [39]

Champollion Public Relations

Lorna Fitzsimmons the Chief Executive of BICOM commissioned Champollion as one of her key campaign strategists and media advisers. Fitzsimmons described the service delivered by Champollion:

“In leading our message development, including through rigorous media training, and in supporting the work of our in-house communications professionals, Champollion has shown a thorough knowledge of the policy area and a commitment that is frankly beyond the call of duty.”[41].

People

In 2006, Michael Lewis is reported to be deputy Chairman. At the time Lewis was also Chairman of UJIA and is described as 'a South African emigré whose business interests run from retail and restaurants to biotechnology'[42].

Gerald Ronson (Community Security Trust chairman) was also on the Board in 2006, alongside Trevor Chinn (UJIA president), Lord Janner, Brian Kerner (former UJIA chairman), Isaac Kaye (who is described as 'a veteran supporter of Israel'), Jonathan Kestenbaum (former UJIA chief executive) and Henry Grunwald (Board of Deputies president)[43].

Supporters of Bicom in 2006 included, Michael Sherwood - co-chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs International (Sherwood took part in Bicom's 'fundraising mission' to Israel the previous year), Ron Beller and Jennifer Moses (husband and wife who also have previous links with Goldman Sachs), Richard Harrington (Conservative Friends of Israel chairman), Edward Atkin and Celia Atkin[45]. According to the report, 'Another name to watch is the vice-chairman of the Parliamentary Committee against Antisemitism, Trevor Pears, whose family foundation has become a major funder of Jewish causes'.

Company Directors January 2011

Former Staff

Affiliations

AIPAC | Europe Near East Forum (France) | Champollion | Stop the Boycott

Contact

Website: www.bicom.org.uk/news
Tel: +44 (0)20 7636 5500
Fax: +44 (0)20 7636 5600
Email: info@bicom.org.uk

Publications

External Resources

Resources

Articles

References

  1. ↑ Peter Oborne & James Jones, Inside Britain's Israel Lobby, 13-November-2009, Accessed 03-January-2009
  2. ↑ Trading places, Leader, Jewish Chronicle, 17 August 2007
  3. ↑ Denyse Tannenbaum, "European media is questioning Israel’s right to exist", European Jewish Press, 10 March 2006.
  4. ↑ European Jewish Press, BICOM chief to become next Israeli ambassador in Paris, European Jewish Press, 2-July-2006, Accessed 17-December-2009
  5. ↑ Main Headlines, Israeli Press Review of 30/6/06, European Jewish Congress, 30-June-2006, Accessed 17-December-2009
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ewen Macaskill and Brian Whitaker, Barak's failures lead all shades of British Jewry to trust in Sharon, The Guardian, 28 March 2001.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 *Dennis Sewell, A kosher conspiracy?, New Statesman, 14 January 2002.
  8. ↑ Hal Weizman, Pressing the emotional button, Jerusalem Report, 3 June 2002.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Daniella Peled, Enough with Polite, Jerusalem Report, 3 October 2005.
  10. ↑ Nick Craven, The other cartoons; AS MUSLIM FURY CONTINUES OVER 'BLASPHEMOUS' CARICATURES OF MOHAMMED, Daily Mail, 4 February 2006.
  11. ↑ Rocker, S. (2006) 'Bicom: the rich and powerful'. The Jewish Chronicle. 22nd June 2006
  12. ↑ Frazer, J. (2006) His mission: to sell Israel’s story to the UK The Jewish Chronicle. 23rd June 2006. Accessed 2nd July 2008
  13. ↑ Frazer, J. (2006) His mission: to sell Israel’s story to the UK The Jewish Chronicle. 23rd June 2006. Accessed 2nd July 2008
  14. ↑ Frazer, J., Josephs, B. & Rocker, S. (2006) Revealed: Israel’s new UK lobby The Jewish Chronicle. 23rd June 2006. Accessed 2nd July 2007
  15. ↑ Frazer, J., Josephs, B. & Rocker, S. (2006) Revealed: Israel’s new UK lobby The Jewish Chronicle. 23rd June 2006. Accessed 2nd July 2007
  16. ↑ Mearsheimer, J. & Walt, S. (2006) The Israel Lobby London Review of Books. Accessed 8th July 2008
  17. ↑ Meanwhile, Israel rebrands The Jewish Chronicle. 23rd June 2006. Accessed 8th July 2008
  18. ↑ Millis, J. & Gladstone, B. (2006) Lessons from foreign lobbies williambowles.info. Accessed 8th July 2008
  19. ↑ Email from Lorna Fitzsimons, 12 September 2011
  20. ↑ Hilary Leila Krieger, British Jews fear backlash, Jerusalem Post, 11 August 2006.
  21. ↑ Hilary Leila Kreiger, British Muslims blame extremism on Tony Blair's foreign policy, Jerusalem Post, 15 August 2006.
  22. ↑ Israel misrepresented claims ambassador, Harrow Times, 31 August 2006.
  23. ↑ Patrick Cockburn, [1], The Independent, 8 September 2006.
  24. ↑ Daniel Shek, Letter: The Palestinian right to exist, The Independent, 13 September 2006.
  25. ↑ Leading article: A storm of violence that we have done little to quell, Independent, 3 October 2006.
  26. ↑ Ben Novick, Letter: Are Palestinians ready for peace? Independent, 5 October 2006.
  27. ↑ UK/Israel group unveils new CEO, 13 October 2006.
  28. ↑ Lorna Fitzsimmons, Comment & Debate: Why I'm backing Israel: The left and the Islamists portray me as a Zionist neocon, but it takes two sides to make a peace deal, The Guardian, 24 November 2006.
  29. ↑ Donald Macintyre, Hamas fails to condemn Eilat bomb that killed three, Independent, 30 January 2007.
  30. ↑ Stephanie Kennedy, US warned against military action on Iran, ABC Australia, 6 February 2007.
  31. ↑ Lorna Fitzsimmons, Reply: Letters and emails: No apartheid in the Middle East, Guardian, 27 February 2007.
  32. ↑ Trading places, Leader, Jewish Chronicle, 17 August 2007
  33. ↑ Email from Lorna Fitzsimons, 12 September 2011
  34. ↑ Campaign, Voluntary Sector Special - Coalition stops boycott of Israeli universities, PR Week, 23-November-2007, Accessed 17-December-2009
  35. ↑ Charlotte Halle, "Peace Now UK is setting up a rival information service to BICOM", Haaretz, 18 July 2003.
  36. ↑ Tim Llewellyn, Publish it not… the Middle East Cover-Up: Foreword", February 2006.
  37. ↑ Tim Llewellyn, Publish it not… the Middle East Cover-Up: Foreword", February 2006.
  38. ↑ Peter Oborne & James Jones, Inside Britain's Israel Lobby, Open Democracy, 13-November-2009, Accessed 03-January-2009
  39. ↑ Martin Bright, The great betrayal, The New Statesman, 15 May 2008.
  40. ↑ Rocker, S. (2006) 'Bicom: the rich and powerful'. The Jewish Chronicle. 22nd June 2006
  41. ↑ Lorna Fitzsimmons, Our Clients:BICOM, Champollion, Accessed 25-October-2009
  42. ↑ Rocker, S. (2006) 'Bicom: the rich and powerful'. The Jewish Chronicle. 22nd June 2006
  43. ↑ Rocker, S. (2006) 'Bicom: the rich and powerful'. The Jewish Chronicle. 22nd June 2006
  44. ↑ The Jewish Chronicle JC Power 100: Sacks stays on top, as new names emerge. 9th May 2008. Accessed 16th August 2008
  45. ↑ Rocker, S. (2006) 'Bicom: the rich and powerful'. The Jewish Chronicle. 22nd June 2006
  46. ↑ BRITAIN ISRAEL COMMUNICATIONS & RESEARCH CENTRE, Levelbusiness, accessed 12 January 2011.
  47. ↑ Frazer, J. (2006) His mission: to sell Israel’s story to the UK The Jewish Chronicle. 23rd June 2006. Accessed 2nd July 2008
  48. ↑ Seth Mclaughlin and Jim McElhatton, Georgetown up in arms over stabbing of activist, Washington Times, 11 July 2006.
  49. ↑ Movers, Third Sector, 9 May 2007.

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