What The Israeli Press Wants Its Public to think about The UK’s Relationship With Israel

Another example of Israel’s bizarre, cult-like psyche

(If you’ve received this article by email, please click on the title to read the latest version. I often continue to edit and correct typos after publishing the first version).

While we anxiously await the next episode in Trump’s multi-media reality show, aka Presidency, I thought people might like another glimpse into Israel’s weird universe. For readers with a strong stomach, below is my translation of a recent Yediot Ahronot article about Britain’s alleged change of attitude to Israel. The article discusses Israel’s relationship with the UK, but it reveals a lot more, if you read carefully between the lines. Articles like this one are very common in the Israeli media.

Israel has always viewed the rest of the world from one main perspective: Is what’s happening good or bad for Israel? Unconditional love for Israel—good. Even the mildest criticism of Israel—very bad. When criticism emerges, or when there’s perceived excessive support for Palestinians or efforts to humanise their experience, Israel quickly deploys its ready-to-go, well-established methods to suppress, or preferably eliminate it. Israel is an aggressive, militant country that fights its perceived enemies on many fronts and in many ways. If you think this is an exaggeration, I recommend Ilan Pappé’s new book, Lobbying for Zionism on Both Sides of the Atlantic, this article by The Grayzone, or this one by Declassified UK.

The pattern of Israeli influence operations in Western democracies has been documented for decades, but it is permitted to continue largely unchallenged. Think of it as Hasbara weaponised. In the UK extensive Israeli networks operate within both major parties through organisations like Labour Friends of Israel and Conservative Friends of Israel, which provide institutional channels for influence. We’ve seen how dissenting MPs face orchestrated pressure campaigns, and there’s a notable revolving door between pro-Israel advocacy groups and government positions. The mainstream media offer little or no meaningful challenge.

What makes Israel’s operations so effective is their ability to get to people in key positions before they gain power. They control information by feeding officials intelligence that appears to come from their own agencies, but actually originates from Israeli sources. Dissenting voices are systematically isolated, as allegedly happening in the US to Gabbard just now. Meanwhile, media coordination ensures favourable coverage. The Grayzone piece mentions Fox News becoming “a 24/7 commercial for war on Iran.”

Electorates in both the US and UK consistently vote for politicians promising to focus on domestic priorities, only to see those same politicians drawn into Middle Eastern wars driven largely by Israel. It raises serious questions about whether we live in truly sovereign democracies, or in client states operating under sophisticated foreign influence.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Israel operates like the mafia. Strip away the veneer of ‘strategic partnership’ and ‘shared values’, and what the Grayzone piece describes is essentially protection racket tactics: leveraging compromising information or creating situations where officials owe them favours, isolating targets by cutting them off from alternative advice (like excluding Gabbard from meetings), and controlling information flow to ensure the person you target only hears what you want them to hear. There are systematic campaigns against politicians who step out of line, creating a ‘you’re either with us or against us’ mentality with no middle ground allowed.

If Israel’s methods were invisible, they might be considered sophisticated. But Israel operates more like gangsters who’ve gotten so powerful, they don’t even bother hiding their methods anymore. They operate in plain sight because they can—because the system has been hijacked to the point where calling it out is career suicide. It’s less ‘strategic influence’ and more, ‘nice democracy you have there, shame if something happened to it’…​​​​

The Yediot Ahronot article below offers insight into the kind of psyche that’s behind Israel’s mafia-like behaviour. It shows how the world we know is perceived within Israel, and how the Israeli press moulds the way the Jewish Israeli pubic thinks about the rest of the world.

The Tories’ Badenoch is now Israel’s darling, and I have to wonder how Israel got to her. Which of Israel’s many mafia-like tactics was used to turn Badenoch into the fanatical supporter of Israel that she is? Read carefully between the lines and see if you can spot the spin, propaganda and indoctrination.

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Behind Britain’s Turnaround Against Israel, and the Opportunity That Awaits: “They Cannot Be on Hamas’s Side”

Itamar Eichner. 31st May 2025

Last July, a new Labour government came to power in Britain led by Keir Starmer, returning to power after 14 years following a devastating collapse of the pro-Israeli Conservatives, frustration with the economic situation, and a sense that the Kingdom had become “broken”. Towards Israel, Starmer’s government actually started on the right foot: it declared that despite the war in Gaza, security and intelligence cooperation would continue, and presented a line of continuity without breaking ties. But something changed.

Britain, one of Israel’s main trading partners, with trade worth around nine billion pounds - the fourth largest in volume - changed direction. Together with two other important friends of Israel in the world - France and Canada, it threatened Israel with sanctions if the war in Gaza continued, and less than 24 hours later already announced the cancellation of negotiations on a future free trade agreement with Israel, summoning Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely in London for a reprimand and imposing sanctions on several settlers.

How Everything Turned Around

The left-wing government in Britain, which is very critical of Israel, already declared a partial arms embargo in September. Despite this, analysis of trade data published in The Guardian this month revealed that companies from the Kingdom continued to send military items - including ammunition. The research was conducted by pro-Palestinian organisations and used Israeli tax authority import data between September 2024 and March this year.

But the threat of sanctions is considered much more severe than this. And as always, domestic politics is involved. In the elections held there last year, there was talk of 30 Muslim constituencies by definition - meaning the Muslim electorate has significant influence on elections. In the next elections, scheduled for 2029, we’re talking about between 50 to 70 constituencies with a significant proportion of Muslims - which is certainly expected to affect Britain’s position towards Israel, regardless of the war in Gaza.

But it doesn’t end just with who votes. Support levels for the Labour government, less than a year after coming to power, are at rock bottom. In Britain, there’s noticeable anger towards the government over immigration issues and insufficient action, over the British economy which is in a dire state, over the health service.

The British government is at rock bottom, whilst rising in the polls is the separatist party of Nigel Farage, the man remembered by Britons as helping to promote the stunning victory of supporters of leaving the European Union in the referendum a decade ago, and in the last elections - when he entered the London Parliament - promised that his next target is victory over Labour.

Let’s Suck Up to the Voters

Criticising Israel is easy money. When there’s criticism of the government, the simplest thing for Labour people would be to attack Israel and pander to voters. Since Labour became the governing party, the number of times Gaza was mentioned in parliamentary questions reached 9,278 mentions. And if you wondered how much they dealt with immigration or health there, you won’t be surprised to discover: 5,742 dealt with immigration, and 5,321 with health. The reason for this is Labour members’ obsession with the Muslim voice in various constituencies.

The images from Gaza are hard and resonate well in Britain. The war is dragging on, and the world is already tired and doesn’t understand what its objectives are - but what certainly accelerates the process in Britain is the domestic political interest. For comparison, there’s also criticism of Israel and stomach aches in Germany - but it’s completely different: it’s not a left-wing government. Chancellor Merz and his Foreign Secretary Johann Wadephul speak of an unbearable situation, coalition voices call for an arms embargo that hasn’t been implemented yet - but sanctions aren’t on the table.

Sources involved in Israel-Britain relations say the government is primarily doing politics when it deals with Israel. When Lord Ian Austin, who left Labour during Jeremy Corbyn’s time, said last year that “there’s an obsession with Israel”. He called for looking at domestic problems and wondered about the fact that “constituencies in Britain and their MPs are struggling with the cost of living, worried about jobs - but we don’t understand why so many politicians are so obsessively fixated on a conflict happening 3,000 miles from us”.

Who Will Lead

The turning point in Israel-Britain relations was the joint announcement by France, Britain and Canada against Israel. This is a forum that never existed before. The explanation for the turnaround is primarily politics, but another point is Britain’s desire to continue leading. London doesn’t want to remain behind France, which leads the anti-Israeli line in Europe and promotes recognition of a Palestinian state. Out of a certain desire to get closer to Europe, the British are making common cause with France.

In Israel, they say the best response to the joint declaration by France, Britain and Canada was Hamas’s reaction, which rushed to bless them. This tells the whole story, in the eyes of official sources in Israel, and says that the British chose to go in Hamas’s direction—and choose the wrong side of history.

After the threat of sanctions came a British announcement about cancelling negotiations on a future free trade agreement with Israel. Foreign Secretary David Lammy used the speech for an attack on Israel and on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. “The threat of starvation hangs over hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza,” said Lammy, adding that this is “abhorrent”.

About Smotrich, Lammy said: “Smotrich said that Israeli forces would cleanse Gaza, destroy what remains and relocate to another country. We need to call this by its name: this is extremism, this is dangerous, this is monstrous. This is not the way to bring the hostages safely home.” When he mentioned Smotrich’s words, British MPs called out “shame” and “genocide”.

Sources involved in Israel-Britain relations were shocked by Lammy’s speech and said he was speaking primarily to his voters.

Response to Recognition of Palestinian State and the Threat: “They Won’t Be in the Picture”

A hostage deal and ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will undoubtedly calm and reduce the magnitude of the crisis. Britain still remains a friendly country and cooperates in security and intelligence fields.

But domestic politics there is taking over. The British chose a side and went far - to the point of raising concerns in Israel that they would recognise a Palestinian state. Much depends on what happens in Gaza, but Israel has already made clear to the British that it will take severe retaliatory measures - including applying sovereignty over Area C territories under Israeli security and civilian control in Judea and Samaria. The message behind the retaliatory measures is a warning that recognition of a Palestinian state would be a prize for Hamas.

In Israel, they still believe that the French move towards sanctions and recognition of a Palestinian state is not yet final, and there could be renewed thinking. But in any case, the British in Jerusalem’s eyes have quite crossed the line - and “left the room”. “They won’t be in the picture, and won’t be players in light of their behaviour,” said an Israeli source.

The Friend That Remains?

Within this crisis with Britain, there’s a bright spot—perhaps among the few. Her name is Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition in Britain, who was elected last November to head the Conservative Party. Badenoch is the fourth woman to lead the Conservative Party after Margaret Thatcher, Theresa May and Liz Truss, all of whom also served as Prime Minister.

Badenoch, like many in the Conservative Party, is considered a staunch Israel supporter, and during the war defended it almost at the risk of her life, and its right to fight Hamas to free the hostages. She’s 45 years old and is considered a different type of politician—who speaks to the public without filters and at eye level.

In an interview with Sky News this week, Badenoch joined the accusations made in Israel—that the move by Britain, France and Canada is actually support for Hamas. “If Hamas praises your actions - you’ve probably done something wrong. Hamas is a terrorist organisation that harms Palestinians in Gaza,” she said. “Israel is fighting a war over 58 hostages who haven’t been returned. We need to ensure we’re on the side that will eliminate Hamas.”

“Hamas is a terrorist organisation. They’re not our friends,” added Badenoch— who was asked why she wasn’t referring to Israeli actions that the three leaders spoke about. She replied: “Everything is connected. Who funds Hamas? Iran, an enemy of this country. Israel is fighting a proxy war on behalf of Britain, just as Ukraine is conducting on behalf of Western Europe against Russia. We need to be serious. There was a terrorist plot in London, against the Israeli embassy. We saw two Israeli embassy staff in Washington who were murdered. Which side are we on? Nobody wants to see war in Gaza. Palestinians are suffering, and Netanyahu complains that he thinks our leaders are taking the wrong action. He has every right to say that. What I want to see is Keir Starmer ensuring he’s on the right side of British national interest. It cannot be on Hamas’s side.”

Badenoch rejected claims that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza: “This is not genocide. There are many things we can criticise Israel for, as I have done regarding the way they might conduct some of these operations, but the bottom line is they’re fighting a terrorist organisation trying to destroy this country.”

She concluded the interview by saying: “I don’t want to be in a position where a terrorist organisation praises my actions. That’s where Keir Starmer has found himself, and a terrorist organisation supported by Iran is not an organisation from which we should receive praise.”

Badenoch sees Israel as representing values of freedom and democracy and admires Israeli entrepreneurial spirit. Whilst Lammy spoke about freezing the trade agreement, Badenoch was the one who did everything to initiate negotiations for an agreement in the previous government - as Secretary of State for International Trade. She’s also in close contact with Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely in Britain, who once hosted her for a Friday night dinner and moved Badenoch—when she lit Shabbat candles with her.

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