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Zionist Federation affiliate members slam chair over ‘wholly inappropriate’ annexation comments
Chair Paul Charney said Israel had ‘little other option than to take unilateral steps’
May 27, 2020 15:51
Chair Paul Charney said Israel had ‘little other option than to take unilateral steps’
May 27, 2020 15:51Affiliate members of the Zionist Federation UK have criticised its chair in a letter over what they claim were “wholly inappropriate” comments on the planned Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank.
ZF chair Paul Charney claimed that “past attempts at negotiated settlement have failed due to Palestinian intransigence, leaving Israel with little option other than to take unilateral steps to secure its borders and its future for all its citizens.
“Israel is a democratic state, led by a democratically elected government, and annexation will not change this.”
In a letter to Mr Charney and ZF’s National Executive, a group of affiliated organisations accused the leadership of “misrepresenting” the views of its constituent bodies.
“The Zionist Federation does not have a mandate to formulate policy positions in response to events taking place in Israel or the wider Middle East, or to make statements on behalf of the organisations it claims to represent,” it said.
“When the leadership of the Zionist Federation make political statements about key issues in Israel, they undermine its credibility as a representative body, and overstep the remit of the organisation, misrepresenting its constituent bodies.”
It added that social media posts by the Zionist Federation “that appeared to pledge support for settlement throughout the entirety of Israel and the West Bank” had “no place in an organisation in which there are a broad range of opinions on this issue.”
The letter urged the National Council “to reflect on what is appropriate behaviour for individuals in positions of authority in the Zionist Federation and ensure that those entrusted into these positions carry out their duties appropriately.
The letter was signed by the Jewish Labour Movement, Liberal, Masorti and Reform Judaism, as well as youth movements LJY-Netzer and RJY-Netzer. Meretz UK and Arzenu, a Zionist movement.
The Zionist Federation and Paul Charney have been contacted for comment.
Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared his intention to annex Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the Jordan Valley and other areas of West Bank.
The coalition deal struck between Likud and Blue and White to form a government included a condition to put the plans to Knesset vote this summer.
A spokesperson for Masorti Judaism told the JC that as a movement “whose members hold a wide range of views [...] we do not generally take positions on party political issues.
“The ZF’s role is to reflect the breadth of Zionist opinion in the UK. Paul Charney’s recent comments were partisan and one-sided and do not reflect the values of pluralism and democracy which we believe are vital to a representative organisation like the ZF.”
A spokesperson for Liberal Judaism said: “Recognising that even within our communities varying views are held on the broader question of annexation of land, we believe that the Zionist Federation as an umbrella body should represent this diversity of opinion of British Jews rather than endorsing the policy of the government of Israel.”
LJY-Netzer told the JC they had signed the letter because an “overwhelming” number of members were anti-annexation.
The group said: “The chair of the ZF is not representing us by speaking out in favour of this controversial and dangerous policy. The leadership of our community should listen to and take seriously the amount of people concerned about this.”
