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Tom Tugendhat: Sanctioning Israel while ignoring Hamas won’t bring two-state solution
Shadow Foreign Secretary spoke at packed CFI event at Tory Party conference in Birmingham
Targeting Israel with sanctions while ignoring the violence of Hamas and other terrorist groups will never bring about a two-state solution, shadow Foreign Secretary Tom Tugendhat has warned.
Addressing a packed Conservative Friends of Israel event at the Tory Party conference, the former security minister accused Labour of pursuing sanctions and other measures against Israel for “narrow political advantage.”
“The idea that somehow targeting the Israeli government, but ignoring the violence of Hamas, Al Qaeda, and any number of other groups, is going to reinforce a two-state solution is absurd,” Tugendhat said, drawing applause from the audience.
“Tragically, I’m not the only one who knows that. You know who else knows that, don’t you? This Labour government knows that too. They know it, but they choose to ignore it.
“They know it, but they choose not to say it. They know it, but they choose to leverage it because they see a narrow political advantage. Well, I’m afraid that is not the kind of country we are.”
Tugendhat went on to praise Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s support for the Jewish community and raised concerns about the safety of UK Jews in the current climate.
He added: “This country is better, this society is better, every community is safer when Jews are safer.”
Later, Israel’s Chargé d’Affaires Christian Cantor addressed the audience, stating: “The UK and Israel have a long and unique shared history.
“A friendship based on shared values will always endure, but we all know that relationship has taken a knock in recent years.
“Rewarding terrorism with the recognition of a Palestinian state was perhaps the most testing point in our friendship. The situation has been made worse, not by Israel, but by the recent wave of sanctions against Israel.
“However, with your help, we can get the UK-Israel partnership back on track and stronger than ever, stronger than before.”
Monday evening’s event featured rousing speeches from a succession of senior Conservatives, including former foreign secretary James Cleverly, Wendy Morton, and Tory chair Kevin Hollinrake, among others.
Now campaigning to become the next London mayor, Cleverly condemned the Green Party for passing its much-criticised motion on Zionism.
“The people who say that Zionism is racism are proving the need for the state of Israel,” Cleverly said. “It is quite remarkable.
“It is quite remarkable that this weekend, just a few days ago, a political party that until recently was considered mainstream passed a motion saying that belief in the need and the protection of a Jewish homeland was inherently racist.”
Earlier, CFI chair Lord Pickles also delivered stinging criticism of Zack Polanski’s party.
“The Green Party passed a motion declaring that Zionism is racist,” he noted. “Let’s be clear: this proposition is not anti-racist. It’s simply wrong.
“It’s wrong because it bears no resemblance to the reality of a modern Israel. More than one in five Israeli citizens is Arab. Arab citizens serve in the Knesset, in the judiciary, in the IDF, and represent Israel abroad. That’s not racism. That’s a vibrant democracy.”
Among those attending the CFI fringe were Rabbi Charley Baginsky, co-leader of Progressive Judaism, and Russell Langer, director of public affairs at the Jewish Leadership Council.
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