Interpal apology is only a temporary setback for Britain’s Zionist lobby

In a significant move, the London-based Jewish Chronicle has issued an apology to the British charity Interpal, for defaming and libelling it in an article. The newspaper has also agreed to pay damages to the charity’s trustees.

The Jewish Chronicle, which is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world, had claimed in an article on March 21, 2019, that Interpal is a “terrorist” organisation.

Interpal, or to give it its full name the Palestinian Relief and Development Fund, is a British charity which primarily provides relief and development aid to Palestinian refugees in occupied Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan.

The Jewish Chronicle has form in libelling and defaming British Muslim organisations active in the charitable and relief sectors.

In January 2014, the paper apologised and paid substantial damages to British relief agency, Human Appeal International, after falsely accusing it of supporting suicide bombings and of being a terrorist designated entity in the US.

The poor behaviour of the Jewish Chronicle, and specifically its longstanding proclivity for defaming British Muslim institutions focussed on Palestinian suffering, speaks to a concerted Zionist disinformation campaign.

The Jewish Chronicle is part of a broader Zionist lobby in the UK which feels it can behave with virtual impunity, especially in terms of attacking British-based pro-Palestinian groups.

The Zionist lobby has been strengthened by the ascent of the hard right in the Tory party, as demonstrated by Boris Johnson’s cabinet, most of whose ministers are members of the Conservative Friends of Israel parliamentary group.

Whilst the Jewish Chronicle has been forced to retreat in the face of irrefutable facts, the broader political context suggests that this is not indicative of a sustainable future trend.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Johnson has applied pressure on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to prepare plans for moving Britain’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

If true, this would be consistent with Johnson’s broader strategy of aligning British foreign policy with that of the Trump administration in the US.

The new Tory government’s enthusiastic embrace of Israel will only embolden Britain’s Zionist lobby to go on the offensive against embattled British Muslim and pro-Palestinian organisations.

By Rupert Cansell, Investigative Journalist

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir