Help us stop Boris Johnson supporting Trump

Boris Johnson and Donald Trump

Donald Trump’s administration has asked the British government to consider moving its Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, in support of the American embassy move. It has also asked Britain to publicly agree with an American declaration of support for extending Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank settlements, which Binyamin Netanyahu has requested, should Donald Trump decide to make the declaration.

A former British Ambassador, Craig Murray, revealed in his blog that the American National Security Adviser, John Bolton, made the requests in his meetings with Boris Johnson two weeks ago. See our News and Comment post here.

An American declaration would be devastating to the achievement Palestinian rights and, consequently, to the hopes for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. British support for the embassy move and the declaration would confer a legitimacy on them which the US alone cannot confer. It would also begin to legitimise undermining the rules-based international order that Donald Trump and the Israeli right so detest.

The JFJFP lobby group has begun lobbying the British Government and the main UK political parties to refuse to cooperate on either matter.

Please write to the Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP, and to your own MP to add your voices to our official lobbying. Write as a JFJFP signatory or supporter. You can write your own letter or use our lobbying letter to the Foreign and Colonial office (below) as a model. (Please let us know if you have written.)

E-mail addresses: Foreign Secretary: Dominic.Raab@fco.gov.uk

MPs: You can find your MP’s parliamentary and constituency e-mail addresses on the Parliament UK website. Click on “MPs, Lords and offices”, then on the photo under “MPs”. There is an alphabetical list of MPs.

Lobbying letter to the Foreign and Commonwealth office

Stephanie Al-Qaq 23 August 2019

Director, MENAD

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Dear Ms. Al-Qaq,

I am writing to seek an early meeting to discuss two issues which have recently arisen, both involving the American administration, but one also involving the UK directly.

The first issue is a potential American declaration supporting the extension of Israeli sovereignty to the Israeli settlements in the West Bank. That would be seen as a first step to extending Israeli sovereignty to most or all of Area C, which is of course the strategic objective of the Israeli right-wing. Binyamin Netanyahu is reported to be asking Donald Trump to make the declaration before the Israeli election in order to help him consolidate support among right-wing Israeli voters.

The second issue is the American Administration’s reported request to Boris Johnson to “speed up” contingency plans to move the British Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and to consider supporting the potential American declaration, should it be made. This intelligence comes, as I’m sure you know, from former British Ambassador Craig Murray’s blog.

We cannot know what the British Government’s response to such requests has been, or would be. We can, however, be sure that the current American Administration would certainly want British support for its policies towards Israel and the Palestinians, so it seems to us highly likely that the requests have indeed been made.

An American declaration would be devastating to the achievement Palestinian rights and, consequently, to the hopes for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. British support for the American positions would begin to legitimise the undermining of the rules-based international order that Donald Trump and the Israeli right so detest. We hope that the British Government has declined, or will decline, to cooperate with Donald Trump.

I hope to hear from you shortly to arrange a meeting.

Arthur Goodman,
Parliamentary and Diplomatic Liaison Officer

Jews for Justice for Palestinians, London