Is the Israel lobby doing more harm than good?
Three years ago I was invited, along with 30 other guests – mainly politicians and journalists – to a private dinner party given by one of Britain’s richest Jews at a Jerusalem hotel. After a mediocre steak and some fantastic wine, we were addressed by our host. The British media were a disgrace, he told us, “real Goebbels-style.” Their coverage of the Second Lebanon War had totally ruined his summer holiday. And the British politicians, many of whom he had donated to in the past, were with few exceptions “all pusillanimous hypocrites” who had criticized Israel’s “disproportionate” response to Hezbollah’s attacks. What was needed, he said, was a new “crack team” of media specialists to be based in London, to compile information, brief journalists and prepare instant responses to all the mendacious lies issued by the hostile press. He expected us all to applaud and congratulate him on his visionary idea, which he assured us he was willing to fund handsomely. Some did applaud, whether ou
Is the Israel lobby doing more harm than good?