Love of the Land: Just weeks before the election, British Conservative Party leader sets out pro-Israeli platform, or does he?

Just weeks before the election, British Conservative Party leader sets out pro-Israeli platform, or does he?

Robin Shepherd
Robin Shepherd Online
12 March '10

In an exclusive interview with Britain’s Jewish Chronicle, David Cameron — leader of the Conservative Party and a man who could be prime minister in eight weeks time — has set out an agenda which suggests he would take a much more pro-Israeli line than the current government should he come to power.

Cameron described as “feeble” the government’s handling of the universal jurisdiction procedures which have been used against senior Israelis saying, “We will keep pressing the government to make this right - and if they don’t, we will.” Islamist groups such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir — which openly calls for an Islamic state in Britain — would be banned and Islamist leaders would be prevented from coming to the UK. Cameron also said that Britain under his leadership would have voted against the Goldstone Report. The current government voted in favour.

The notion that the Conservatives would put Britain on a more pro-Israeli track is probably reasonable, but the devil lies in the detail. Consider, for example, Cameron’s explanation of his position on the Goldstone Report:

“The detailed allegations of human rights abuses… are serious and they do need to be fully investigated,” the Jewish Chronicle quoted him as saying. The Conservatives would have voted against the report because it “didn’t mention Hamas’s role in starting the conflict”.

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Love of the Land: Just weeks before the election, British Conservative Party leader sets out pro-Israeli platform, or does he?