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Giving Peace a Chance - Ground-breaking report exposes work of pro-Israel lobby in the UK

January 30, 2014 at 10:00 am

The Middle East Monitor, in coordination with Spinwatch, have released a report into the work of the British Israel Communications and Research Centre. The report, Giving Peace a Chance will be launched at the House of Commons on Thursday 7th November. The report studies the work of the Israel lobby in Britain and the role that BICOM have played in supporting the lobby since their establishment.


The research, undertaken by Spinwatch and funded by MEMO, looks at how BICOM has worked within the Zionist community in the UK to support Israel’s interests. The report looks at how the organisation has worked to ferment support for Israel within British political and media circles, from providing briefings to taking delegations to the region. The report explores how serious the pro-Israel lobby is about seeking peace in the region, particularly in the post-Oslo context.

“This will be an opportunity to hear the results of the first in-depth research project on one of the most important pro-Israel lobby groups in the UK,” said David Miller, Professor of Sociology at the University of Bath and co-author of the report.

“The Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) presents itself as a supporter of a two state solution in Israel/Palestine and of the peace process in the Middle East. Our findings suggest, on the contrary, that it supports the rejectionism of an Israeli state which refuses to give peace a chance.”

Dr Daud Abdullah, director of the Middle East Monitor described the research as “ground-breaking”. He said, “A study into the work of the British Israel lobby has been a long time coming. This report exposes the influence the lobby has in certain political and media circles, explaining why support for Israel quite often comes at the expense of the Palestinian cause.”