Friend of Israel Reed’s review of ‘foreign interference’ doesn’t mention Israel

The government’s Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced what it calls an “Urgent review into foreign financial interference in UK politics“. Un-but-ought-to-be-remarkably, the announcement does not contain a single mention of the biggest ‘foreign financial interferer’ in UK politics — Israel — even once. Instead, it refers only to the “shocking case of former [Brexit/Reform] MEP Nathan Gill”, who has been jailed for fourteen years for taking bribes to say good things about… Russia.

Just by the by, MHCLG is run by Starmer front-bencher Steve Reed. Reed is on record stating his “long-standing commitment to LFI” — Labour Friends of Israel. Like half of Keir Starmer’s front bench, he also happens to be the beneficiary of significant donations from Israel lobbyists, including Trevor Chinn — who recently said he had “spent my entire life working for Israel”.

The MHCLG announcement also refers to the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA)’s new guidance on:

how members of Parliament and their staff can protect themselves from foreign states and its proxies in relation to espionage and foreign interference.

Anybody see Israel?

Equally un-but-ought-to-be-remarkably, this document also makes ZERO mentions of Israel. It mentions China (7 times), Russia (6 times); it mentions Iran, Ukraine and even Australia. But not even once for the biggest foreign financial interferer — who, not incidentally, is also known to blackmail, threaten and coerce its targets if bundles of cash don’t do the trick.

Take the case of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a recent example. Israel and its proxies have threatened ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan. When that failed to persuade him to drop his warrants for war crimes arrests of Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, it appears to have tried to destroy his reputation. It also set its US attack dog onto him with devastating sanctions. ICC judges and other figures have also been sanctioned, while Khan’s predecessor as chief prosecutor was personally visited, in secret, and threatened by an Israeli spy boss.

The United Nations and its experts have been similarly targeted. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has received repeated threats for speaking out about Israel’s genocide and other crimes in Gaza. Israel and the US also tried to bully a UN panel into refusing to renew Albanese’s UN accreditation, and when that failed the US again imposed sanctions, accusing her of “unabashed antisemitism.” Because, you know, objecting to murdering Palestinian kids is antisemitic these days and all that.

And Israel’s agents haven’t yet found a tactic they wouldn’t stoop to. Israel’s agents threatened to kill Diab Abou Jahjah, chair of the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), and his entire family if the HRF wouldn’t stop its legal pursuit of Israeli war criminals.

The list goes on

And so on and so on and so on. It would be a very long list to even scratch the surface, even leaving aside Israel’s notorious readiness to conduct ‘false flag’ attacks on others — and even itself — to achieve its aims. But none of it — none of it — makes Steve Reed or his boss Keir Starmer interested in including Israel in Reed’s ‘review’, let alone conducting the full criminal into Israel. This includes its bought, paid-for or blackmailed stooges in the UK establishment.

To paraphrase the late, great Caroline Aherne:

But what, Steve, first persuaded you never to shine a spotlight on your Israel friends and donors?

It’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma if ever there was one.

Featured image via Declassified UK