New Labour - Where Will They Get Their Money From? posted by Richard Seymour

If the big battalions in the trade union movement join their comrades in the FBU and RMT, and decide to desert Labour, this lives a compelling dilemma for the party. Can it really rely on continued support from the business community, given that their natural home is the Tory party? Well, one source of funding that may remain incorrigible and perhaps invaluable is that of the Zionist lobby. Let me draw your attention to an electioneering advertisement which appeared in the Jewish Chronicle on June 1st, 2001:

Since 1997 a record 57 Labour MPs have visited Israel, mostly with the Labour Friends of Israel, swelling the numbers of MPs willing to ensure balance on the Middle East in the House of Commons. More Labour MPs have visited Israel than from any other party.

...

Trade between Britain and Israel has grown incredibly by 20 per cent, while there have been 34 official trade missions to Israel from the UK since 1997. The unique BRITECH agreement signed by Trade Secretary Stephen Byers means there is now a 15.5 million pounds sterling joint fund to encourage co-operation between British and Israeli hi-tech industries in research and development for their own benefit.

This was signed by Tony Blair, although I expect Campbell actually PPd the fucking thing. Note that "balance" in New Labour's lexicon means support for Israel. "Hi-tech industries" is a piss-poor euphemism for Israeli military development which the UK is busily buttressing. Now, Blair joined the Labour Friends of Israel pressure group on becoming an MP, and many of New Labour's usual suspects are leading members - Stephen Twigg, Gwynneth Dunwoody, Jim Murphy. Meanwhile, Stephen Byers is hoping to resuscitate his ailing career by pitching for the leadership of the organisation. Blair himself is, of course, a good friend of pro-Israeli campaigner Lord Levy, whom he was introduced to at a dinner in the early Nineties.

But how much money can pro-Zionist organisations really muster? And how long can Labour afford such a relationship if it damages relations with core voters? Labour has a history of supporting occupied and oppressed peoples - from India and Burma to South Africa. It has been one of the left's enduring mistakes to identify Israel as some variant of socialism - even Ian Mikardo fell for this in his day. Sadly, however, the reasons for New Labour's enduring support for Israel - while drawing institutional support from this history (as with, say, John Edmonds' support for Histradut) - are less idealistic than this. Most Blairite MPs presumably recognise it as a fantastic career boost. This, of course, does not automatically conduce to strong Jewish support for Labour - although one assumes that their vote has been skewed that way. Some British Jews, like Mark Elf , do not support Israel. As the Jewish Chronicle notes today, most British Jews do not support Sharon. So why does the government continue to arm him?