{"id":334135,"date":"2017-11-08T21:20:35","date_gmt":"2017-11-08T20:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/newswire\/palestinians-see-priti-patels-secret-israeli-meetings-as-further-proof-britain-isnt-their-friend-rt-uk-news\/"},"modified":"2017-11-08T21:20:35","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T20:20:35","slug":"palestinians-see-priti-patels-secret-israeli-meetings-as-further-proof-britain-isnt-their-friend-rt-uk-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/newswire\/palestinians-see-priti-patels-secret-israeli-meetings-as-further-proof-britain-isnt-their-friend-rt-uk-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Palestinians see Priti Patel\u2019s secret Israeli meetings as further proof Britain isn\u2019t their friend \u2014 RT UK News"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>        While the UK collectively holds its breath to see whether International Development Secretary Priti Patel will emerge from 10 Downing Street unscathed, Palestinian activists and academics have denounced the Tory MP\u2019s deceptive conduct. <\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Patel was recalled from Africa Wednesday morning by Prime Minister Theresa May after fresh evidence emerged of Patel participating in off-diary, unauthorized meetings with prominent Israeli politicians.<\/p>\n<p>Some have called Patel\u2019s secret meetings with Israeli officials (while \u2018on holiday\u2019)<em> \u201cdisappointing\u201d<\/em> and <em>\u201ca matter of grave concern,\u201d<\/em> while others have been much harsher on the embattled MP.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5BVK0zRgqGY\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Academic Dr Ghada Karmi, research fellow at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, said Patel\u2019s actions have reminded Palestinians they have no friends within the British government \u2013 just as things were a century ago.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThe current government marked the Balfour centenary on November 2nd \u2018with pride\u2019 \u2013 as if dispossessing the native population of Palestine in 1948, or supporting the apartheid state that was created then were causes for pride,\u201d<\/em> Karmi said.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cAnd now that the British secretary of state for International Affairs Priti Patel has been caught out making unauthorized contacts with members of the Israeli government\u2026 Israel&#8217;s interest in Patel has to do with cutting off British aid to the Palestinians through her department, and also to fighting the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign, both of which Patel is in a position to bring about.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"arcticle__read-more read-more\">\n<p>Read more<\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"read-more__link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.rt.com\/uk\/409185-patel-sack-israel-meetings\/\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"read-more__cover\" src=\"https:\/\/cdni.rt.com\/files\/2017.11\/thumbnail\/5a02dfb8fc7e9383328b4567.jpg\" alt=\"\u00a9 Tolga Akmen \/ Global Look Press\"\/><br \/>\n    <\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>Dr Karmi went on to question Patel\u2019s motives, speculating whether her shady meetings were merely a prelude to a leadership power-grab.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cIt seems what is in it for her is a leg-up in her bid to become the next British prime minister,\u201d<\/em> the Palestinian born academic and author said.<\/p>\n<p>But Dr Karmi wasn\u2019t alone in questioning if Patel\u2019s secret dealings were an attempt to strengthen her future in politics . A statement released by the Palestinian Mission to the UK echoed the same concerns.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cIt may be that the minister is also trying to strengthen her own political career with such formidable friends who may have been disheartened by the Foreign Secretary\u2019s recent talk of the unfinished business of the Balfour declaration and his support for the establishment of a Palestinian state,\u201d<\/em> the statement said.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cWe urge the government of Prime Minister Theresa May not to add insult to injury after the celebratory \u2018marking\u2019 of the Balfour declaration and to make a public statement about this scandalous affair to assure the international community that Britain is still firmly committed to the two-state solution,\u201d<\/em> the statement by the Palestinian Mission to the UK added.<\/p>\n<p>Patel\u2019s tangled web of secrets has unravelled even further, with details emerging of another two secret meetings with Israeli officials revealed in addition to the 12 already exposed to the public.<\/p>\n<p>It is now claimed that she met with Israel\u2019s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan at Westminster and foreign ministry official Yuval Rotem in New York in September.<\/p>\n<p>A Jews for Justice for Palestinians spokesperson told RT that working towards peace between Israel and the Palestinians is fraught enough without a British government minister potentially subverting established UK policy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"arcticle__read-more read-more\">\n<p>Read more<\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"read-more__link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.rt.com\/uk\/408938-pirit-patel-israel-apology\/\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"read-more__cover\" src=\"https:\/\/cdni.rt.com\/files\/2017.11\/thumbnail\/5a009353fc7e939e688b4584.jpg\" alt=\"UK Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel \u00a9 Global Look Press\"\/><br \/>\n    <\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>\u201cAs Jewish opponents of the occupation, JJP is concerned that&#8230; Patel has cut aid to the Palestinian territories, where the population is often impoverished as a result of the occupation. Instead, she seems to want to channel UK aid to projects involving the Israeli Defence Forces. We question the financial sense and moral purpose of her actions.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A Number 10 spokesman confirmed that a conversation had taken place between Patel and Israeli officials, after it was reported that she had suggested funneling money to Israel&#8217;s armed forces to assist with medical support for wounded Syrian refugees.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThe Israeli army runs field hospitals there to care for Syrians wounded in the civil war,\u201d<\/em> the prime minister\u2019s spokesman said.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cBut there is no change in policy in the area. The UK does not provide any financial support to the Israeli army.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal said Patel\u2019s aid proposal is far worse than breached protocols, but called for the complete disclosure of her off-the-book meetings.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThat she would conduct a visit to occupied territory and propose giving aid to support the illegally occupying military force in that area, whatever the intended usage of the money, is worse,\u201d<\/em> Jamal said.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cBut scrutiny also needs to be given to the fact that two of the secret meetings were with Gilad Erdan. He has no developmental brief. His ministerial brief is to suppress activism for Palestinian human rights on Israel and abroad. The purpose of Patel\u2019s meetings with him and the full agenda need to be disclosed.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Patel is currently meeting with May, where it\u2019s expected she will be sacked.<\/p>\n<p><strong>By <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rlangjournalist\">Rachel Lang<\/a>\u00a0&amp;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DannyHarries\">Danny Harries,<\/a> RT<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"http:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/uk\/409272-patel-palestine-balfour-sacked\/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=RSS\">RT<\/a>. This piece was reprinted by <a href=\"http:\/\/rinf.com\">RINF Alternative News<\/a> with permission or license.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While the UK collectively holds its breath to see whether International Development Secretary Priti Patel will emerge from 10 Downing Street unscathed, Palestinian activists and academics have denounced the Tory MP\u2019s deceptive conduct. Patel was recalled from Africa Wednesday morning by Prime Minister Theresa May after fresh evidence emerged of Patel participating in off-diary, unauthorized [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":334136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[519],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-334135","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-newswire"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334135\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/334136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}