Israel’s Embassy in the UK has praised British MPs that defended Israel in a Parliamentary debate Wednesday in which Andrew Percy MP brandished one of 4,000 “terror dolls” seized by Israeli authorities in December.
The terror dolls were seized at Haifa port whilst en route to the Palestinian Territories as reported by CUFI in December.
Mr Percy, Conservative MP for Brigg and Goole, was speaking in a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament, called by the Labour MP Sarah Champion to draw attention to the situation of children arrested by Israeli forces after violent incidents in the West Bank.
After the debate, Mr Percy, a former teacher, told Jewish News that the problem was a refusal by anti-Israel MPs to view the issue in context. “I taught plenty of young people who found themselves in the criminal justice system,” he said. “But we needed to find out why they were turning to crime and the same goes for what is happening in Israel.”
The doll, about 10 inches tall, wears a keffiyeh covering its face, on which is written in Arabic “Jerusalem is ours”. Clutched in the doll’s right hand is a rock. “This is clearly incitement”, Mr Percy told JN, “but when it was raised in the debate – together with concerns about statements by [President] Abbas, what’s on Palestinian TV or written in Palestinian textbooks – it was dismissed by the other side as irrelevant to their narrative, which is that Israel is an apartheid state committing war crimes. But there is a direct connection between this doll and terrorist violence.”
He said: “Imagine if this were an ISIS doll distributed in British schools and imagine the outrage. But this issue seems to have been hijacked by a coalition of those on the hard left, with a smattering of antisemites, and those looking for a new South Africa.”
MP Sarah Champion, who called the debate, complained of “disproportionate” response by the IDF relating to the throwing of stones by Palestinian youngsters. She has secured a meeting with Middle East minister Tobias Ellwood, who wound up the debate, to press the UK for closer monitoring of what happens to arrested children.
Mr Ellwood said he planned to raise the issue when he visits Israel next month but made it clear that “Israel is a democracy in a very difficult neck of the woods, and we encourage Israel to pursue high standards and the democratic process.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli Embassy in the UK issued a statement applauding MPs that challenged incitement of Palestinian youngsters in Wednesday’s debate.
“The State of Israel attaches great importance to strengthening and promoting the protection granted to minors in the military justice system, while simultaneously taking into consideration the unique circumstances and the security situation in the West Bank,” it says.
According to the statement over recent months, 40 minors (aged 12-18) took part in terror attacks against Israelis. The terror wave which has included stabbings, car-rammings and shootings, has claimed the lives of 25 Israelis, and has left 279 wounded. Many more minors were involved in life threatening terror acts.
“We applaud British MPs who in today’s discussion gave voice to the challenge of confronting incitement, a critical prerequisite to achieving peace,” says the Embassy.
“Those who place Palestinian minors at the top of their priorities would do well to include in their discussion the incitement that motivates those minors to commit terrorist acts and to call out those responsible for institutionalized radicalization in the Palestinian territories.”
CUFI Comment – Contact your MP
Christians United for Israel UK invites you to express thanks and appreciation to Andrew Percy MP for his stand against the incitement of Palestinian young people as well as to your own MP noting Mr Percy’s comments and expressing concern about the issue . As anti-Semitism increases here in the UK and in Israel it is essential we let our Members of Parliament know we stand with Israel and that we care about the terrible brainwashing of these young Palestinian children.
To contact your MP, enter your postcode below (opens new window). Please only use this if you are a UK resident and only to contact the MP in your Constituency. To email Andrew Percy MP, click here.
