Britain is in an uproar over comments in a Jewish newspaper by President Shimon Peres, who called British policies “pro-Arab” and “anti-Israel.” His remarks were contained in an interview conducted by Ben Gurion University Professor Benny Morris for Tablet, a year-old New York-based Jewish news website.
President Peres let down his diplomatic guard, perhaps not realizing that the British media would notice the interview, and stated that the growing Muslim population in Britain has contributed to the country’s being Israel’s ”next big problem.”
"There are several million Muslim voters, and for many Members of Parliament, that's the difference between getting elected and not getting elected," he said. "And in England there has always been something deeply pro-Arab—of course, not among all Englishmen—and anti-Israeli, in the establishment.
"They abstained in the 1947 United Nations partition resolution ... They maintained an arms embargo against us in the 1950s ... They always worked against us. They think the Arabs are the underdogs." He added that Germany and France have relatively good relations with Israel.
Britain’s new Conservative party Prime Minister, David Cameron, got off on the wrong foot with Israel last week when he stated that Gaza was a ”prison camp.” President Peres did not refer to his remark.
James Clappison, Conservative Member of Parliament and vice chairman of Conservative Friends of Israel, criticized the President’s statements, saying that "Peres has got this wrong.” While admitting that Israel often is understandably frustrated by some British media, Clappison added, “I don't recognize what he is saying about England."
Criticism also came from the Jewish community in Britain. Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Romain, who also is a writer and broadcaster, said, “I am surprised at Peres. It is a sweeping statement that is far too one-sided. Britain has supported both Israel and Arab causes at different periods over the last 50 years. There are elements of anti-Semitism but it is not endemic to British society.”
Support for President Peres came from the Christian Friends of Israel, whose director Jacob Vince told the London Telegraph that it was "difficult to see how many MPs would not be influenced by the number of Muslim voters in their constituencies. The question is how well they [MPs] understand those with whom they are seeking conciliation."
President Peres has long been on the left side of Israeli politics, but he has been increasingly skeptical of Arab peace proposals since the expulsion of Jews from Gaza communities in 2005. "For eight years they fired and we refrained from retaliating. When they fired at us, the British didn't say a word,” he told Prof. Morris.