The Gould Werritty Investigation Continues 175

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An MP has been refused by the Commons Table Office when they tried to table a question asking how many meetings Gould had held with Werritty and/or Fox. The Table Office say the question has already been answered – even though we know for certain that the answer given was untrue.

This was the untrue – or at the very least radically unfull – answer cited by the Table Office:

Adam Werritty
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings HM ambassador to Israel has had with the Secretary of State for Defence (a) in Israel, (b) in the UK and (c)
31 Oct 2011 : Column 374W
elsewhere since May 2010; whether Mr Adam Werritty was present on any such occasion; and which (i) other officials and (ii) other people were present on each occasion. [76970]
Alistair Burt: All meetings which our ambassador to Israel has had with the former Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox) since May 2010 are set out in the Cabinet Secretary’s report of 18 October 2011. Our ambassador to Israel was also invited by the former Defence Secretary to a private social engagement in summer 2010 at which Adam Werritty was present.

It is remarkable rule of parliament that apparently once a minister lies about something, parliamentarians are never allowed to ask about it again.

Meantime I have submitted a Freedom of Information request about a Freedom of Information request! I have asked for any notes, minutes, emails or correspondence relating to the handling of my FOI request for the Gould-Werritty correspondence. You may recall that my request was declined on grounds of cost, and dealt with in the remarkable time of just 76 minutes, the answer ebing received at 11.31 pm!

Finally the editor of the Jewish Chronicle has declined to publish the following article, which I submitted to him as a comment piece covering the JC’s promotion of the charges of anti-semitism against Paul Flynn for pursuing the Gould/Werritty issue. This is a shame, because the JC used to give space to liberal views, and because I believe a serious percentage of their readership would have been interested in the other side of the story.

There is a genuine argument that it was not wise to appoint Matthew Gould as Ambassador to Israel, and the accusations of anti-Semitism levelled at MP Paul Flynn MP by Dennis McShane, and reported by Martin Bright in the JC, do not address that argument.

Of course being Jewish does not in any way disqualify Matthew Gould from being a British ambassador. We are fortunate in the UK to have many brilliant Jewish diplomats. Jon Benjamin in Santiago is an example of an absolutely first rate ambassador with whom I was once privileged to work.

But Israel/Palestine remains, beyond dispute, a scene of unresolved conflict. The Israeli government, for example, recognises that conflict by invoking the San Remo Agreement to justify its naval embargo of Gaza. The San Remo agreement only applies in times of armed conflict. The dispute is also witnessed not just by events on the ground, but in diplomatic terms by the whole paraphernalia of Middle East peace negotiation, including the post of Quartet envoy occupied by Tony Blair.

So the situation surrounding Israel is not normal and involves conflict. That is, of course, by no means unique. Nearby Cyprus is subject to a dispute that has many parallels. I was Head of the FCO Cyprus section for three years, and tried hard but failed to make progress in resolving the “Cyprus question”. Winning trust was extremely difficult; it would have been well nigh impossible had I been ethnically Greek or Turkish. For the Head of the FCO Cyprus section, or for our Ambassador in Nicosia, to be ethnically Greek, Turkish or either shade of Cypriot just would not be practically useful. I hope nobody will accuse me of being anti-Greek or anti-Turk for saying so.

Similarly, it is just not helpful to have an Ambassador in Tel-Aviv who is Jewish or Palestinian. It just isn’t practically wise. This is not a matter of high policy. There may be Jews or Palestinians of such exceptional personal qualities they could rise above any suspicion of partisanship and be effective. But Matthew Gould has proven himself not to be that talented.

Matthew’s frequent declarations to the Israeli media of his personal commitment to zionism are neither helpful nor necessary for a diplomat. Take for example this from the Jerusalem Post of 29 May:

“British Ambassador Matthew Gould declared his commitment to Israel and the principles of Zionism on Thursday”
That really is a very peculiar thing for a diplomat, who is supposed to have just the one national commitment, to say. I was dismissed as an Ambassador – by FCO ministers including Dennis McShane – for too strong a personal commitment to human rights. A personal commitment to zionism is by comparison a good thing, apparently.

We also cannot pretend that in 2011 to declare oneself a “zionist” in political terms merely has its 19th century meaning of somebody who believes in the existence of a state of Israel. The readership of the JC knows that the term “zionist” has accrued baggage of support for settlements and a greater Israel, for the annexation of the whole of Jerusalem, and of links with the non-Jewish foreign policy neo-Cons both sides of the Atlantic. who also declare themselves ardent zionists at every opportunity.

It is also worth noting that, of the entertained guests who have passed into Gould’s Tel Aviv residence, a disgruntled British Embassy source tells me that well less than 5% of invites have been to Israeli Arabs who constitute 20% of the population.

Finally, we have to consider the extraordinary relationship of Gould with Adam Fox and Liam Werritty. It has been shown that the trio met at least seven times, including several meetings before the election, according to Gus O’Donnell’s replies to Paul Flynn at the Public Administration Committee. The FCO refuses point-blank to say how many times Gould met Werritty without Fox, and refused within the hour (at nearly midnight!) my emailed Freedom of Information request for the Gould/Werritty correspondence.

No other official was ever present at any of the Fox-Gould-Werritty meetings – one of many strange facts about them. Gus O’Donnell’s report mentions only two of what we now know was a much larger series of meetings. We really need to know what Gould, the “committed zionist”, was doing with the two extreme Atlanticist neo-cons – and why the government is so anxious to hide it..

That is a genuine question, and to scream “anti-semite” at anyone who asks it devalues the term.

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175 thoughts on “The Gould Werritty Investigation Continues”

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  • Komodo

    55, Crossroads, Romford, is the home address of one Councillor Lynden Thorpe, female, and, unsurprisingly, Conservative. She is deputy mayor of Havering, and is listed as Rosindell’s PA. The house last changed hands for £580,000 in 2006. The Westminster Club does not appear to exist separately, and if the dour old bat whose house it is has anything to do with lapdancing I am not an evil old reptile.

  • Jives

    @ Mary,
    .
    Thanks for that fascinating link.David A. Harris is absolutely correct;it doesn’t appear the Newt is ready for “prime time” if that is his “interpretation” of the situation.It’s almost as if the Newt doesn’t want a solution.Wouldn’t surprise me though.Welcome back Mary btw 🙂

  • Komodo

    @Mary:
    Questions (for anyone interested): Why is Rosindell registering a donation from the Westminster Club (which does not exist except as a concept) at an address given as the residence of his PA? Did Thorpe give him the money? And if so, why did he not declare it as such? Did someone else give him the money? And if so, who? And why was this not declared as such?

  • anno

    komodo
    Sacks is head of the Council for Christians and Jews in the UK.
    His recent reference to Dr Rowan Williams as a primate, was deliberately insulting, in my opinion.
    The archbishop reflected on whether Christianity was an import or an export to the Middle East. The truth is that the Emperor Constantine, decreed that the Trinity was the only doctrine which his church recognised, and he fought many wars in Africa against those Christians who took the Judaic and now Islamic doctrine of the Oneness of God. So if the Archbishop were to think a little deeper, which of course he is paid not to do, he would see that his C of E Christianity is indeed, verily, an import to the Middle East.

  • Ken

    [Brilliant article by Robert Fisk.Well worth a read.
    .]
    ‘
    ‘
    ‘Yes Fisk is on the ball yet again.

  • nuid

    “Vicious reader comments left on JPost article on Tamimi”
    Never doubt that Israel means well.
    Read the talkbacks to the Jerusalem Post story on Mustafa Tamimi’s critical injury, then death during Nabi Saleh demonstration from IDF tear gas cannister to the face, reportedly fired at close range. [yesterday – nuid]
    From just the first five:
    .
    illiniwek: “The only thing the illegal alien arab moslem terrorist understands is brute force so therefore, the IDF should be using live rounds with shoot to kill orders for any rock thrower regardless of age and gender…”
    .
    John DeLancy: “…the Arab Muslmis are trying to kill Jews and the IDF hits back. Only, Hashem is protecting His people, the Jews. And He is not protecting the enemies of His chosen. “
    .
    AmIsraelchaielYahud: “Now with half his face gone he will only be half the trouble.”
    .
    Viiit: “That’s the price we pay for having them within the Land of Israel. The[y] have to go”
    {http://972mag.com/talkbacks-on-idf-killing-of-mustafa-tamimi/29331/}
    .
    Joseph Dana (@ibnezra) who reports from the West Bank (‘primarily for the Mail & Guardian’) tweeted a few hours ago:
    .
    “Army Spokeswoman @AvitalLeibovich rationalized her army’s behavior in Nabi Saleh yesterday with the following photo http://pic.twitter.com/ys5m9fB3 ”
    .
    I’m so angry … look at the picture she posted.

  • Komodo

    Nuid:
    Question (another) is, how long in microseconds would similar comments about Israelis, never mind Jews, last on the CiF?

  • nuid

    If you’re not signed into Twitter and can’t access the other link, try this one:
    http://p.twimg.com/AgPJVFQCAAEGkYs.jpg
    .
    Here’s the report from CNN:
    {http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/10/world/meast/west-bank-protester-dead/index.html}
    .
    No point in them calling it an “illegal riot” since all demonstrations there are illegal, according to the Israelis.

  • nuid

    “how long in microseconds would similar comments about Israelis, never mind Jews, last on the CiF?”
    .
    Exactly, Komodo. It’s a farce, what goes on on CiF.

  • Mr Jones

    I wonder if you can get the Jewish chronicle to comment on this Mr Murray,or our government or any MP for that matter.RevisionistHistory.org The Prop Masters,

  • snickid

    I suggest that before it is too late, all commenters here join:

    1. Stop the War Coalition: http://stopwar.org.uk/
    2. Palestine Solidarity Campaign:http://www.palestinecampaign.org/

    Today US Republican Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich described the Palestinians as an ‘invented people’ – the most active endorsement yet of Israel’s ongoing programme of ethnic cleansing of Palestine by any mainstream American politician:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/10/palestinians-invented-people-newt-gingrich

    The campaign for war against Iran has almost nothing to do with Iran’s nuclear programme, and everything to do with Israel’s desire to aggravate tensions elsewhere in the Middle East, drawing attention away from its ongoing degradation and dispossession of the Palestinians.

  • Ken

    Nuid.It’s a farce, what goes on on CiF.
    ‘
    ‘
    ‘
    I will second that now that I have to go thru moderation just to get anything posted there. Seems they take exception to any posts that criticise Israel whatsoever,jokers.

  • Mary

    Well dug up Komodo. Spade as sharp as ever I see. Why is Rosindell so coy about the address of the ‘Club’ if there’s nothing to hide. Do you too smell rotten fish?
    .
    I laughed when I looked up the Cllr. Her photo here {http://democracy.havering.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=155} and her register of interests
    http://democracy.havering.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=155&T=6
    .
    She’s fond of horses. Similar to Ann Widdecombe who likes donkeys but preferably only those in the ‘Holy Land’. The Israelis are so kind to donkeys but are not very kind to their owners. {http://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/connected/stories/donkey.shtml}

    .
    I note that two of the MEPs listed on that site are Charles Tannock Con who is vice chair of European Friends of Israel and Baroness Ludford a fervent member of LD Friends of Israel. Good Zionist support in the area.
    ~~~~
    Thanks Jives and Mark. Just needed a break after the recent ‘flaming’.

  • Kenny boy

    Craig,
    One can only hope that this discussion is taking place within the foreign office and the best interests of Britain emerge as policy. What do you think? Is this the likely scenario or has the process become so subject to lobbyist influence that it it is corrupt.

  • Rehmat

    Rep. Ron Paul is the only GOP presidential hopeful, who is not competing with his opponents (Romney, Gingrich, Cain and Bachmann) to prove “who loves the Jews the most and hates Iran the most“.

    On Thursday, speaking at the Iowa State Campus in Ames, Iowa – Ron Paul claimed that Bush administration was happy after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

    “Think of what happened after 9/11, the minute before there was any assessment, there was glee in the administration because now we can invade Iraq and so the war drum beat. That’s exactly what they’re doing with Iran“.

    http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2011/12/10/ron-paul-bush-boys-were-happy-after-911/

  • Komodo

    @ Mary:
    Cllr. Thorpe’s fondness for horses is possibly the only point in her favour. I can’t fault her on that. There are areas where I am not a right-on Trot, and that is one of them. (incipient pun alert).
    Crab: the reason for the multiple posts is usually that you only get one link per post before the automoderator kicks in; you need to post twice to get two links.
    .
    [Mod/jon – partly removing discussion about past disagreements – off-topic]

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