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Conservative Friends of Israel

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Conservative Friends of Israel, abbreviated to CFI, is a British parliamentary group affiliated to the Conservative Party, which is dedicated to strengthening business, cultural and political ties between the United Kingdom and Israel. CFI is an unincorporated association. It also seeks to strengthen ties between the British Conservative Party and the Israeli Likud party.

It was founded in 1974 by Conservative MP for Bury and Radcliffe, Michael Fidler. It is currently chaired by Stuart Polak. The Parliamentary Chairman is James Arbuthnot, the Parliamentary President is Baroness Shephard of Northwold. The Vice Chairmen are John Butterfill and James Clappison, the Secretary is David Amess, the Officers are Alistair Burt, Lee Scott, and Theresa Villiers, and the Chairman of CFI Europe is Timothy Kirkhope.

In 1995 Conservative politician Robert Rhodes James called it "the largest organisation in Western Europe dedicated to the cause of the people of Israel".[1]

By 2009, according to the Channel 4 documentary Dispatches – Inside Britain's Israel Lobby, around 80% of Conservative MPs were members of the CFI.[2] In 2013, Peter Oborne, the Daily Telegraph's chief political commentator called CFI “by far Britain’s most powerful pro-Israel lobbying group”. The same is true of AIPAC in the US.”[3]

Activities

The group's 2005 strategy identified the following areas of activity: supporting Israel, promoting the British Conservative Party, fighting terrorism, combating anti-semitism, and promoting peace in the Middle East.[4] According to their website, "over two thirds" of Conservative MPs were members of Conservative Friends of Israel in 2006.[5] In 2007 the Political Director stated it had over 2000 members and registered supporters.[6] In 2009, at least half of the shadow cabinet were members of the group according to a Dispatches documentary.[7]

Their website states the opinion that it is one of the fastest growing political lobby groups in the UK.[8] According to the Dispatches documentary, between 2006 and 2009 the CFI funded more than 30 Conservative parliamentary candidates to visit Israel.[7]

In 2012 CFI reconstituted itself as a private company limited by guarantee.[9]

CFI annual business lunch

David Cameron, then newly elected leader of the Conservative Party, addressed the CFI annual business lunch on 30 January 2006, whose audience included half of the Conservative Parliamentary Party. As part of his speech, he stated "I am proud not just to be a Conservative, but a Conservative friend of Israel; and I am proud of the key role CFI plays within our Party. Israel is a democracy, a strong and proud democracy, in a region that is, we hope, making its first steps in that direction."[10]

Former Conservative party leaders Iain Duncan Smith[11] and Michael Howard[12] have addressed the CFI lunch.

The British Pakistani MP Sajid Javid has also made business lunch speeches which have been positively received by the CFI, the Jewish Chronicle even reporting Javid as a future Prime Minister.[13]

Donations

The Dispatches documentary claimed members of the group and their companies have donated over £10 million to the Conservative party between 2001 and 2009. The group called this figure "deeply flawed" saying that they have only donated £30,000 between 2004 and 2009 but that members of the group have undoubtedly made their own donations to the party. Dispatches described the CFI as "beyond doubt the most well-connected and probably the best funded of all Westminster lobbying groups".[2][7]

Members of CFI

According to the CFI website 80% of Tory MPs are members of Conservative Friends of Israel.[14]

In alphabetical order, members of Conservative Friends of Israel include:

See also

References

  1. ^ Peter Oborne (12 December 2012). "The cowardice at the heart of our relationship with Israel". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  2. ^ a b Dispatches: Inside Britain's Israel Lobby, Channel 4, Monday 16 November 2009
  3. ^ Peter Oborne, Iran nuclear deal: ill-informed friends of Israel are refusing to face facts, Daily Telegraph, 27 November 2013, accessed 10 August 2015
  4. ^ CFI INFORMED Magazine, Second Edition (PDF), Conservative Friends of Israel, February 2007, p. 3, retrieved 29 May 2008[dead link‍]
  5. ^ Conservative Friends of Israel – About Us
  6. ^ Robert Halfon (27 September 2007). "Introducing the CFI". ConservativeHome. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  7. ^ a b c Black, Ian (16 November 2009). "Pro-Israel lobby group bankrolling Tories, film claims". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  8. ^ Conservative Friends of Israel web site
  9. ^ "Companies House WebCHeck - CONSERVATIVE FRIENDS OF ISRAEL LIMITED". Companies House. Company No. 08114952. Archived from the original on 29 December 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ CFI INFORMED Weekly Briefing (PDF), Conservative Friends of Israel, 3 February 2006, retrieved 25 May 2006[dead link‍]
  11. ^ Duncan Smith: Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorists, Conservatives.com, 10 December 2001
  12. ^ "Howard Speech to the Conservative Friends of Israel, at the Savoy Hotel, London". Conservatives.com. 6 December 2004. Archived from the original on 12 December 2004.
  13. ^ http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/94117/muslim-tory-mp-after-britain-israel-best
  14. ^ a b "About CFI". Conservative Friends of Israel. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  15. ^ "Ministers "will change" war crimes arrest law". Jewish Chronicle. 8 July 2010.
  16. ^ "Altrincham and Sale West: Election 2010". Jewish Chronicle. 29 April 2010.
  17. ^ "UK: Evangelical Christian appointed new UK Middle East Minister". The Muslim News. 15 May 2010. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  18. ^ "British MPs furious after Israel President Shimon Peres accuses the English of being anti-semitic". Daily Mail. UK. 1 August 2010.
  19. ^ a b "Cameron's Cabinet: Who are they?". Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  20. ^ "Mike's Biography". Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  21. ^ "William Hague's Schmooze With The Jewish News". Totally Jewish. 25 March 2010.
  22. ^ a b "Ministers lose seats in the East". East Anglia Daily Times. 7 May 2010.
  23. ^ Black, Ian (16 November 2009). "Pro-Israel lobby group bankrolling Tories, film claims". The Guardian. London.
  24. ^ "About Conservative Friends of Israel". cfoi.co.uk. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  25. ^ "Eric Pickles to lead MPs' delegation to Israel". Jewish Chronicle. 24 July 2015.
  26. ^ "Rifkind elected as Kensington MP". Jewish Chronicle. 7 May 2010.
  27. ^ Sloan, Alaistair. "Ed Miliband will back Israel". Middle East Monitor. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
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