BICOM appoints Christian fundamentalist as new communications director

The Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM), the UK’s biggest Israel advocacy organisation, has appointed as its new communications director a Christian fundamentalist who believes the West Bank is promised to the Jewish people by God.

Simon Barrett is currently best known for his role as presenter of ‘Middle East Report‘, a show broadcast on evangelical Christian channel Revelation TV. Ahead of starting at BICOM, Barrett expressed his belief in the importance “for society and the nation” that Jews and Christians make common cause as “two minority communities.”

BICOM’s apparent support for a negotiated two-state solution seems at odds with Barrett’s own position. At an event earlier this year in London, Barrett described the West Bank – or “Judea and Samaria” in his words – as the “biblical heartland of the Jewish people promised to them by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” and is thus “their land for inheritance.”

Barrett went on to declare Israel “the only piece of real estate that God has promised in his word for the Jewish people”, adding that Israel is “at the forefront of a battle of civilisations” and “part of our Judaeo-Christian heritage.” He reassured the faithful that “ultimately, God is in control.”

The appointment has not been publicly announced by BICOM, and as yet, Barrett does not appear on their ‘Team‘ page. The Jewish Chronicle referred to his new role in September, and he is listed as a BICOM point of contact for the recent UK visit of former MK Einat Wilf, as well as in a BICOM job advertisement for a communications officer.

Over the years, Barrett has worn a number of hats, operating on the fringes of various pro-Israel organisations. In a 2002 article he was cited as a spokesperson for the Zionist Federation, while more recently, he served as spokesperson for the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-SE). Earlier this month he was cited by Christian radio station Premier as “a Christian and terrorism expert”.

BICOM has made significant efforts in recent years to target the liberal-Left with “the progressive case for Israel“, playing up talk of a two-state solution, and, in the words of funder Poju Zabludowicz, looking to convince people in Britain “that Israel seeks a lasting peace.” Barrett, however, comes to the lobby group from a very different background, in a move that reflects how Britain’s embattled Israel lobbyists are increasingly reliant on support from Christian Zionists.