Jimmy Carr hosts secret Israeli party at British museum
On Tuesday, the Israeli embassy organised a party to celebrate the anniversary of Israel's 77th Independence Day.
The party was not advertised and staff at the museum were reportedly asked to leave work early, according to the Middle East Eye.
The event was hosted by television personality Jimmy Carr and was also attended by Maria Eagle, Labour's minister for defence procurement and industry, who gave a speech.
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In her speech, Eagle boasted about the regular Royal Air Force spy planes which have been flying over Gaza on reconnaissance missions.
"The UK stood with Israel, with the RAF conducting surveillance flights over the Eastern Mediterranean in support of hostage rescue efforts," she told the room.
"We stood with Israel; when Iran launched its reckless coordinated missile and drone attacks, with RAF aircraft intercepting a number of them."
She added that "it's been hard over the last couple of years to see Israel going through some of the most difficult times in its history".
Other politicians seen at the event were Stephen Crabb, a former Tory minister, and Britain's trade envoy to Israel, Lord Ian Austin.
The event's keynote speech was given by Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely, a controversial figure who once called the Nakba – when 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced and more than 500 Palestinian cities, towns and villages were destroyed by Israel in 1948 during the country's formation – an "Arab lie", and who has rejected the notion of a two-state solution.
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The secret party comes as Israel approved plans to "capture" and occupy Gaza for an unspecified amount of time. On the same day as the event, the UK Government was in court facing a legal challenge over its decision to continue to supply F-35 parts to Israel.
While the event was kept under wraps, a protest organised by Energy Embargo for Palestine (EEFP), which describes itself as an "anti-imperialist climate organisation", took place outside the museum.
A spokesperson for the group told the Middle East Eye: "It is not lost on us that Maria Eagle's speech in the British Museum comes on the same day that the UK government was brought to court by [legal groups] Glan and Al-Haq."
They added that EEFP has "exposed the true face of the British Museum, which presents as a progressive institution", and that British Museum staff members were "lied to".
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