Political Affairs Brief a Daily Summary of Political Events Affecting the Jewish Community

13 January 2009

Political Affairs Brief A daily summary of political events affecting the Jewish Community

Scottish Council of Jewish Communities

SCoJeC

Contents Home Affairs Israel Holocaust Consultations

Home Affairs

UK Parliamentary Questions Faith Schools Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools he and his predecessors have designated as being of a religious character in each of the last 10 years. [245852] Jim Knight: The following table shows the number of brand new maintained faith schools that have opened in each of the last 10 years. All faith schools are designated as having a religious character under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and the Religious Character of schools (Designation Procedure) Regulations 1998. Number of new faith schools 1998 3 1999 6 2000 3 2001 6 2002 10 2003 10 2004 14 2005 12 2006 7 2007 7 2008 6 Total 84 These figures include former independent faith schools that have joined the maintained sector. They do not include new faith schools resulting from schools amalgamating or faith infant and junior schools amalgamating to be replaced by a primary school. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090112/text/90112w00 03.htm#09011220000012

Islam and Citizenship Education Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in how many mosque schools the Islam and Citizenship Education programme is being piloted; in which cities these schools are located; how the pilot will be evaluated; and when he expects the programme to be rolled out nationally. [245536] Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Islam and Citizenship Education Project is being piloted in 30 mosque schools in London, Bristol, Leicester, Bradford/Kirklees and Oldham/Rochdale. The Institute of Community Cohesion has been commissioned to evaluate the project. The draft lessons are freely available online to all mosque schools and will be updated in April 2009 following the end of piloting. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090112/text/90112w00 03.htm#09011220000017

Ministry of Justice Candidate for post of Information Commissioner announced Christopher Graham, currently the Director General of the Advertising Standards Authority, has been selected as the preferred candidate to take over as Information Commissioner when Richard Thomas retires from the post in June 2009. To read the full press release see http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/newsrelease130109a.htm

Department for Culture Media and Sport Freedom of Information Release Artwork Spoliated by Nazi Germany - Case 106180 Question: Request for the following information; The total amount of compensation and/ or ex gratia payments made in relation to the restitution of artwork spoliated by Nazi Germany and now held in national collections. http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/foi_requests/5719.aspx TOP

Holocaust UK Parliament: Early Day Motion Phil Wilson (402) Holocaust Memorial Day 2009 – That this House notes that 27 January will mark Holocaust Memorial Day, the day on which the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated; further notes this year's theme Stand up to Hatred and its profound contemporary significance; condemns unreservedly denial and denigration of the memory of the Holocaust and the politics of hatred and division which led to it; believes all people hold a collective duty to actively oppose racism, anti- Semitism and prejudice of all kinds; thanks the city of Coventry for hosting the national Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust for arranging it; commends organisations including the Holocaust Educational Trust, which works with schools and communities across the United Kingdom to ensure the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten; applauds its Lessons from Auschwitz Project now taking visits from across the United Kingdom, as well as its Think Equal programme, which works with schools in areas suffering from community tensions to help students understand the dangers of racism and discrimination; notes that a book of commitment will be placed in the corridor between the Members' Cloakroom and Members' Staircase

between the hours of 14.30 and 16.30 from 14 January until 27 January; and encourages all right hon. and hon. Members to sign the book and to involve themselves with the day, to ensure that neither the Holocaust, nor its crucial lessons are ever forgotten. http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37417&SESSION=899

TOP

Israel UK Parliament Debates There will be a House of Commons debate on Gaza on Thursday 15 January

House of Commons statement on Gaza by David Milliband and subsequent Q&A (an extract from the statement was included in yesterday's PAB) http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090112/debtext/90112- 0003.htm#0901122000003 includes: col 24 William Hague (Richmond, Yorks) (Con): …The situation for Gaza’s civilians is clearly desperate, particularly for the 3,000 injured, for the families of the 257 children who have lost their lives, to whom the Foreign Secretary referred, and for the many people in Gaza who may not even support Hamas and who simply want to live in peace, but who find that rockets are being launched from inside their neighbourhoods, which are then targeted by Israeli military operations. …It is also a fearful time, we must not forget, for many Israeli civilians, who live under the threat of ever-longer-range rocket attacks that are expressly intended to kill them. …The immediate trigger for this crisis, as the Foreign Secretary has described, was the barrage of hundreds of rocket attacks against Israel on the expiry of the ceasefire or truce. Does that not underline the utter tragedy of Gaza in recent years, which has slid further into isolation and poverty, just when the first steps towards greater stability and economic activity are being witnessed on the west bank? I am sure that the Foreign Secretary will agree that whenever we discuss Hamas we should remind ourselves that it has made no progress towards the Quartet principles of recognising Israel, renouncing violence and accepting previous peace agreements, and that it must do so before it can be accepted as a negotiating partner. … col 26 David Milliband: …In respect of the smuggling of arms, the right hon. Gentleman will know that the estimate of the number of tunnels is now above 200. Their presence is incentivised not least by the fact that the closure of the crossings means that even non-arms trade has to go through the tunnels. That is why the issues of smuggling and of the tunnels go together. Action needs to be taken on the smuggling simultaneously with the opening of the crossings. Unless the crossings are open, we will not be able to crack down on the smuggling, which is getting flour, never mind arms, into Gaza. … col 28 Edward Davey (Kingston and Surbiton) (LD): …In trying to be balanced and rightly condemning Hamas for the rocket attacks, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have at times seemed unbalanced in the face of a truly unacceptable level of Israeli military might. Indeed, in trying to be balanced the British Government have at times fallen off the tightrope of truth—when the Foreign Secretary initially refused, unlike the French President, to call this Israeli action disproportionate. …I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s statement that serious allegations about the conduct of both sides should be investigated. Will he press at the UN Security Council for an independent fact-finding mission to lead that investigation into all allegations of breaches of international law by all sides? He is aware of the danger of the Gazan conflict’s creating tensions between communities here in the UK. Surely a call for such an investigation would help to calm

3 that situation. As for actions to persuade the Israelis and Hamas to desist the fighting and rocket attacks, why have neither the UK nor the EU implemented an arms embargo against Israel, just as the Conservative Government did in 1982 in response to Lebanon? http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090112/debtext/90112- 0004.htm

col 29 David Milliband: …The hon. Gentleman raised an important question in respect of the arms embargo, and I want to confirm that our position remains exactly as described. No arms exports are granted where there is a clear risk that those arms could be used for internal repression or external aggression, and that is surveyed very closely. Also, we have no evidence of any of the exports that he has pointed to being used in this operation. As for some of the allegations that are around—for example, in The Guardian on Friday, which the hon. Gentleman did not repeat, but it might help the House if I make this point clear—there is no truth in the suggestion that those exports are used by the IDF or are being used by the IDF in this operation. I assure him that the criteria that we use remain very strict, and they were recently examined in judicial review to confirm the way that they operate. … col 30 Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside) (Lab/Co-op): I support all efforts to bring about a speedy and peaceful solution to this dreadful conflict. Does the Foreign Secretary agree that to do that, he must address the responsibility of Hamas for this dreadful situation? That includes the statements in Hamas’s charter that propose to make Israel the subject of an Islamic Waqf for ever, that promote jihad and the cult of death and extol martyrdom, as well as Hamas’s practice of callously booby-trapping civilian areas and deliberately encouraging the deaths of civilians in Gaza today. David Miliband: Certainly many statements by Hamas are grotesque and chilling, and it is essential that Hamas plays its part in achieving, at least in the short term, the ceasefire that is necessary and, in the longer term, the Palestinian reconciliation that will be essential to provide some leadership for the Palestinian people which can negotiate with Israel. col 31 Sir Menzies Campbell (North-East Fife) (LD): But is not the blunt truth that while we discuss this the Israeli Government persist in disproportionate military action, using F- 15s, F-16s, Apache helicopters and tanks at a terrible cost to human life? If any other democratic state were behaving in that way, would we not by now be considering what other economic and diplomatic steps were available to us? Are the Government considering any such steps? David Miliband: We do not believe that economic sanctions on Israel are the way to engage or to influence Israel—[Hon. Members: “Why not?”] We do not believe that the isolation of Israel is the way to achieve influence with it. col 32 Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley) (Lab): I was present some years ago in Jenin, during the siege of Jenin. I saw then the refusal of the Israelis to allow humanitarian aid to be provided to those who were injured and sick. Now we see that yet again. It is an absolute disgrace that any country that calls itself a democracy refuses to allow the humanitarian agencies to deliver aid to those who are desperately in need. I also think that the exclusion of journalists from the area is totally unacceptable. Were it not for al-Jazeera, we would see no pictures on television of the suffering and destruction taking place in Gaza at present. Will my right hon. Friend make the point that it is essential to allow journalists access? David Miliband: I agree on both points with my right hon. Friend—the entry of journalists, to which I referred in my statement, and the essential nature of the humanitarian obligations that Israel needs to follow. … Mr. John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon) (Con): Would the Foreign Secretary not agree that those who so vigorously criticise Israel would carry greater credibility if they had made similar criticisms over the years of the suicide bombings and rocket attacks deliberately aimed at civilians in Israel? …

Sir Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton) (Lab): In congratulating my right hon. Friend on steering resolution 1860 through the United Nations Security Council, may I ask him what the international reaction would be if Hamas had slaughtered nearly 900 Israelis and subjected nearly 1.5 million Israelis to degradation and deprivation? Is it not an incontrovertible fact that Olmert, Livni and Barak are mass-murderers and war criminals— [ Interruption. ] Yes. And they bring shame on the Jewish people whose star of David they use as a flag in Gaza, but whose ethos and morals go completely against what this Israeli Government are doing. … col 33 Sir Malcolm Rifkind (Kensington and Chelsea) (Con): Will the Foreign Secretary agree that Hamas appears to love Palestine more than it loves the Palestinians, given its willingness, as far as we can understand, to put rocket launchers and other military assets in the vicinity of mosques, schools and other civilian institutions? http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090112/debtext/90112- 0005.htm

col 35 Mr. George Galloway (Bethnal Green and Bow) (Respect): The Foreign Secretary is not in favour of the isolation of Israel but he was in favour of the isolation of the Government elected in Palestine, in the only free parliamentary election ever held in any Arab country, because the people voted the wrong way. He joined the siege of the Hamas Government and helped create the desperation that led to the barrage of rockets—largely ineffectual, as he has conceded. … David Miliband: The right hon. Gentleman is right that Hamas uses terrorism to further its ends and some of its commitments in its charter that were referred to by my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Mrs. Ellman) are utterly grotesque. It would be wrong to start saying that there are glimmers of hope here or there. What I can say, and what I believe, is that there are some people in Hamas who recognise that there needs to be a politically negotiated solution to the conflict. That is an important part of the equation. However, the truth is that they are not the majority in Hamas, and that is the tragedy at present. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090112/debtext/90112- 0006.htm

UK Parliamentary Question Israel: Nuclear Weapons Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what matters concerning (a) Israel’s nuclear weapons arsenal and (b) Iran’s nuclear programme, he discussed in his meeting with his Israeli counterpart on 16 December 2008. [245675] The Prime Minister: I discussed a wide range of issues with Prime Minister Olmert. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090112/text/90112w00 12.htm#09011231000009

UK Parliament: Early Day Motions Martin Linton (392) That this House welcomes the launch of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East – to provide a voice for Labour Party members and supporters who want to see a viable and independent state of Palestine alongside Israel; acknowledges that the organisation opposes the use of violence, whether by Israel or Palestinians, and regards the excessive military force used by Israel in Gaza as grossly disproportionate and counterproductive; notes with concern that moderate Palestinian public opinion is being critically undermined by Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the confiscation of Palestinian land and the proliferation of checkpoints;

5 presses for international laws to be upheld and the human rights and equality of Palestinians and all peoples in the region to be respected; and looks forward to working with the Government and the Labour Party to promote a just and sustainable peace settlement for Israel and Palestine. http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37408&SESSION=899

Richard Burden (408) Gaza –That this House expresses outrage at Israel's overwhelmingly disproportionate use of force in Gaza which continues to inflict massive civilian casualties, particularly amongst children and which has involved strikes on aid convoys, United Nations schools and medical personnel; calls for an immediate ceasefire including the end of Israel's attacks on Gaza, the withdrawal of its troops and the cessation of rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel; further calls for the demands of the Security Council to allow the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance, including food, fuel and medical treatment to be implemented and for the end of the long-term Israeli blockade of Gaza; further calls on the Government to initiate proceedings, with the other High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Convention, to require the protection of civilians in times of war and to require accountability for military action which contravenes the Convention; further calls for an arms embargo on both sides and for the remit of any international forces deployed to include protection of Palestinian civilians from blockade and attack as well as the prevention of arms supplies which threaten Israeli civilians; further calls on the European Union to demonstrate that the continued implementation of its Association Agreement with Israel is conditional on Israel's respecting human rights; demands that Israel stops blocking international journalists from entering Gaza; and calls on the international community to redouble its efforts to achieve the lasting settlement of a secure and independent state of Palestine alongside a secure and independent Israel. http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37423&SESSION=899

John Hemming (378) Gaza Strip Conflict – That this House believes that war crimes have been committed as part of the conflict in the Gaza Strip; and calls on the Government to refer the conflict to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for formal investigation. http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37394&SESSION=899

Andrew Pelling (411) Middle East And Home Security – That this House noting that developments in Palestine can have an adverse impact upon the security situation in the United Kingdom, urges the Government to work closely with the new administration in Washington to secure a permanent two-state peace settlement. http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37426&SESSION=899

Bob Russell (400) British Arms Sales to Israel – That this House is appalled that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been licensing increasing arms sales to Israel; registers with extreme disapproval that in the first three months of 2008 Britain exported nearly £19 million worth of weapons to Israel, compared to £7.5 million in the whole of 2007; requests the Government to state the value of British arms sold to Israel from April to December 2008; further requests the Government to list the types of weapons sold to Israel; calls on the Government to halt delivery of further weapons; and urges the Government to investigate whether any of the weapons exported to Israel during 2008 have been used in the attacks on Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37415&SESSION=899

Bob Russell (399) International Sporting Boycott of Israel –That this House recalls with approval that the civilised nations of the world showed their disapproval of the apartheid policies of South Africa through the banning of that country from international sporting events, a process which helped bring about the ending of apartheid; considers that the behaviour of Israel towards the Palestinian people is equally unacceptable; and

urges international sporting bodies to adopt a policy of exclusion of Israel from competitions with immediate effect. http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37414&SESSION=899

Jeremy Corbyn (393) Al Jazeera That this House congratulates Al Jazeera on its reporting of the crisis in Gaza and being able to broadcast despite Israeli bombardment; and believes its English channel should be made available urgently on the parliamentary estate to enable all hon. Members to be better informed. http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37409&SESSION=899

Welsh Assembly: Statement of Opinion Bethan Jenkins: OPIN-2009- 0102 - End Israeli attacks on Gaza The National Assembly for Wales calls on the Welsh Assembly Government to make an urgent public statement condemning the Israeli government's attacks on Gaza, and calls on the Welsh Assembly Government to echo demands made by the International community for an immediate ceasefire. http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-guide-docs-pub/bus-business- documents/bus-business-documents-state-opinion.htm?act=dis&id=111154&ds=1/2009

Northern Ireland Assembly: No Named Day Motion Mr J O'Dowd: Gaza Crisis – That this Assembly condemns the appalling loss of life and scale of injuries among the civilian population in Gaza; calls on those responsible for all attacks involving civilian casualties to cease; calls for humanitarian aid organisations to have the freedom of movement to deliver their aid unhindered to the people of Gaza; and further calls for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and for the international community to mobilize to secure these objectives. http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/io/noday.htm

European Parliament There will be a European Parliament debate on Gaza and Israel on Wednesday 14 January and a vote on a resolution on Thursday 15 January.

EP President Pöttering expresses "deepest regret" over the Gaza conflict At the opening of the plenary session on Monday, EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering expressed his "deepest regret" over the escalation of the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas, calling for an "immediate end to the violence on both sides". …President Pöttering strongly criticised Hamas for ending the ceasefire by firing rockets on Israel, and criticised Israel's "disproportionate reaction". "A state's inviolable right to protect itself does not justify violent acts which affect first and foremost civilian populations," he said. … It is no longer a process of negotiations; we are in a process of escalation. We are now thinking in terms of crisis management, he said. "Peace in the Middle East cannot be solved solely by the region itself. The international community must be ready, more than ever before to promote peace, in the Middle East, in order for the bitter events of the past decades not to be perpetuated into forthcoming decades" To read the full press release see http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/030-45935-012-01-03-903- 20090112IPR45934-12-01-2009-2009-true/default_en.htm

United Nations Effect of conflict on Gaza’s children ‘devastating,’ says UN rights monitoring body The United Nations body monitoring a key global treaty enshrining the rights of children voiced its deep concern today at the impact of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has killed or injured hundreds of young people, and warned that the effects of recent events on an entire generation of children will be severe. “The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child is deeply concerned at the devastating effects that the current military engagement in Gaza is having on children,” the 18-member body said in a statement issued in Geneva, where it is currently in session. … To read the full press release see http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29524&Cr=Gaza&Cr1 = TOP

Consultations Equality and Human Rights Commission: Strategic plan, Equality Scheme and Grants Programme (closes January 2009) Consultation guides http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/policyresearch/consultations/pages/consul tnov08.aspx online consultation http://equalityhumanrights.dialoguebydesign.net/

Identity Cards Act secondary legislation (closes 13 February 2009) http://www.ips.gov.uk/identity/downloads/NIS_Legislation.pdf

End of Life Choices (Scotland) Bill (closes 9 March 2009) http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/bills/MembersBills/pdfs/EndOfLifeChoicesConsultati on.pdf

Regulations to implement the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Act 2008 (closes 30 March 2009) http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_092465?IdcService=GET_ FILE&dID=180685&Rendition=Web TOP

The Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCoJeC) is Scottish Charity SCO29438