Lord Baron Stuart Polak tells House of Lords: "I
have no problem with legitimate criticism where it is due, but this obsession
with Israel needs to be addressed. This singling out of the Jewish state is
wrong, unjustified, and plays a role in the rise and rise of
anti-Semitism."
"Israel is being singled out ‘with nauseating frequency,’ to
borrow a phrase, and we are joining in," said Lord Baron Stuart Polak,
president of Conservative Friends of Israel, in a House of Lords speech on Jan.
7.
"I have no problem with legitimate criticism where it is due,
but this obsession with Israel needs to be addressed. This singling out of the
Jewish state is wrong, unjustified, and plays a role in the rise and rise of
anti-Semitism," he said.
"Whether it manifests itself in Monsey [New York] in the
United States or just down the road in South Hampstead, it arises, as we have
seen in the Labour Party, when there is a failure of leadership on the grandest
scale," added Polak.
The baron also raised the question of the Palestinian Authority’s
terroristic practice of "pay to slay," making it clear that the
government has an obligation to ensure that British taxpayer money go to those
in need, as opposed to rewarding terrorists convicted of heinous crimes and
their families.
"In 2018, the Palestinian Authority paid over £260 million
[$338 million] – around 7% of its annual budget – on salaries to killers and
murderers," said Polak.
Referring to the Netherlands’ discontinuation of direct aid to the
PA in November because of this terror reward policy, he urged, "We must
pay our way, but not when our aid is used to pay for slay. We must find a
method by which aid payments serve the recipients who need our support in
Palestinian society, and at the same time, serve the interests of the British
taxpayer."
Though these issues have been ongoing, Polak told Jewish News
Syndicate that with a new British Parliament, now is the time to raise the
issues they want and "set an agenda."
"My speech was a signal that this is a priority for the
pro-Israel community," he said.
In the context of a rise of anti-Semitism and violence against Jews
worldwide, Polak said that he will "again raise the issue of payment to
Palestinian prisoners and continue to push."
In his speech, Polak took the opportunity to congratulate the government
on its new legislation making it illegal for local councils to implement
boycotts against Israel. "The promise by the government to legislate
against BDS was a first and shows where the new government is at in relation to
these sorts of issues," he told JNS.
He then rebuked the United Nations for fixating on the world’s only
Jewish state. "There was one resolution on North Korea, one on Syria, one
on Iran and two on Russia. There were no resolutions on China, Venezuela, Saudi
Arabia or Pakistan. But there were no less than 18 resolutions on Israel. That
is totally unacceptable and, what is more, far too often the UK votes for these
resolutions," he said in his speech.
Polak critiqued a resolution that was passed at the UN General
Assembly on Dec. 13 called "Israeli practices affecting the human rights
of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East
Jerusalem," saying, "suffice it for me to say that the resolution
totally ignored terror attacks against Israeli civilians in Israel, referring
to them as "tensions and violence."
It also negated deadly rocket and missile attacks by Palestinians
on Israeli cities and towns over the years, and sought to strip Israel of its
inherent right to self-defense by classifying every defensive measure as
"a violation of international law."
In addition, he continued, "it referred to the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem only by its Islamic name, Haram al-Sharif. What did we do? We voted
for the resolution, whereas our allies and friends in Canada, Australia and the
US had the courage to vote against it."
Polak concluded with a request that the United
Kingdom look "very carefully" in the future before voting against
Israel at the United Nations.
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