Turkish Forum

Tag: Israel lobby

  • ‘bankrolled by corporate intelligence firm and Israel lobbyist’

    ‘bankrolled by corporate intelligence firm and Israel lobbyist’

    Adam Werritty: Liam Fox’s friend ‘bankrolled by corporate intelligence firm and Israel lobbyist’

    Adam Werritty, the Defence Secretary’s unofficial “adviser”, was funded by a corporate intelligence company and the chairman of an Israeli lobbying organisation, documents have disclosed.

    PojuBy Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor

    Mr Werritty is reported to have paid for travel around the world from a company that received funds from G3 Good Governance Group and Tamares Real Estate, an investment company owned by Poju Zabloudowicz, the chairman of Bicom.

    Jon Moulton, a venture capitalist, is also said to have provided money to Pargav Ltd, the firm which is alleged to have bankrolled Mr Werritty.

    Over the past few days, speculation has mounted as to how Mr Werritty was able to join Liam Fox on more than 20 overseas trips including official visits, conferences and holidays.

    It has now emerged that six different people and companies each paid up to £35,000 to Pargav since last year.

    Mr Werritty is said to have withdrawn more than £140,000 from Pargav’s bank account to fund his travel around the world to meet up with Dr Fox, The Times reported.

    The disclosure is likely to put Dr Fox under growing pressure as those previously close to the pair become increasingly alarmed at Mr Werritty’s activities.

    Mr Zabloudowicz is the head of Bicom, a prominent organisation which promotes Israeli-British relations. His companies have also donated money to the Conservative Party and he is a supporter of David Cameron.

    Last night, he confirmed donating £3,000 to Pargav.

    A spokesman said: “For many years, Poju Zabludowicz has helped fund not-for-profit organisations, not individuals, due to his passion for the promotion of peace and understanding between peoples in the United States, Europe and the Middle East.”

    G3, a company that specialises in international security and risk management, has previous links with Dr Fox in connection with his attempts to help with the reconstruction of Sri Lanka. The firm is thought to have donated £15,000 to Pargav.

    Earlier this week, The Daily Telegraph disclosed that Mr Werritty had being working out of the offices of Michael Hintze, a hedge fund tycoon and donor to the Conservative Party. Oliver Hylton, an adviser to Mr Hintze is the sole director of Pargav.

    Mr Hylton and Mr Hintze are now apparently attempting to distance themselves from Mr Werritty and are thought to believe they asked more questions of Dr Fox’s friend and best man.

    Last night, Mr Hylton told The Times: “He [Mr Werritty] came into my office and said I want to set up a new company. It sounds ridiculously niave, in hindsight, but I agreed. I signed the documents and nothing more.

    “I saw Adam as an adviser [to Dr Fox] of some sort. Anything he did was for the good of Liam Fox and supporting his office. Adam is a good and honest man.”

    Asked about Pargav, a spokesman for the Defence Secretary said: “Adam Werritty does not work for the Defence Secretary as an official or unofficial adviser.”

    www.telegraph.co.uk, 14 Oct 2011

  • MP: Israel’s tentacles will steal the election

    MP: Israel’s tentacles will steal the election

    Pro-Palestinian politician gives ‘election warning’

    By Martin Bright and Robyn Rosen, March 29, 2010

    Martin Linton
    Martin Linton, chair of Labour Friends of Palestine

    The election campaign took a distinctly unpleasant turn last week as pro-Palestinian MPs suggested the “Israel lobby” would play a behind-the-scenes role in key constituencies.

    Martin Linton, chair of Labour Friends of Palestine, told a meeting at the House of Commons held by the Palestine Solidarity

    Campaign and Friends of al-Aqsa: “There are long tentacles of Israel in this country who are funding election campaigns and putting money into the British political system for their own ends.

    “You must consider over the next few weeks, when you make decisions about how you vote and how you advise constituents to vote, you must make them aware of the attempt by Israelis and by pro-Israelis to influence the election.”

    Mr Linton sits on a tiny 163-vote majority in the London seat of Battersea and is unlikely to survive the election.

    The veteran Jewish anti-Zionist MP Sir Gerald Kaufman suggested wealthy members of the community would play a role similar to that of Tory “non-dom” peer Michael Ashcroft. “Just as Lord Ashcroft owns most of the Conservative Party, right-wing Jewish millionaires own the rest,” he said.

    Community Security Trust spokesman Mark Gardner said: “Anybody who understands antisemitism will recognise just how ugly and objectionable these quotes are, with their imagery of Jewish control and money power. Ask the average voter who had made these comments, and they would most likely answer that it was the BNP, not a pair of Labour MPs.”

    A main concern for the Jewish community will be the threat of the BNP.

    The two key target constituencies for the BNP are Barking, where the party’s leader Nick Griffin will stand against Jewish culture minister Margaret Hodge, and East Renfrewshire in Glasgow, where the Scottish BNP leader Gary Raikes will take on Secretary of State for Scotland, Jim Murphy. East Renfrewshire contains Scotland’s largest Jewish community.

    Where the BNP is strongest, in parts of the north of England and in east London, the Jewish vote itself will make little difference. However, there are a handful of marginal constituencies where the size of the Jewish communities could make all the difference.

    It is very unlikely that Labour can hold on to Margaret Thatcher’s old seat of Finchley and Golders Green, where the incumbent Rudi Vis is standing down and Tory leader of Barnet Council Mike Freer is confident of victory.

    In neighbouring Hendon, Andrew Dismore has been a consistent champion of the concerns of the local Jewish community. But after a series of allegations about his expenses, he faces a tough fight with the Tories’ Matthew Offord and Matthew Harris, secretary of Lib Dem Friends of Israel.

    One of the most intriguing battles will be for the Bury South seat of Middle East minister Ivan Lewis, a former chair of Manchester Jewish Federation. Although Mr Lewis sits on a substantial majority, he faces a formidable opponent in Michelle Wiseman, Chief Executive of Manchester Jewish Care.

    , March 29, 2010