Shivraj Singh Chouhan participates in Israel's Independence Day event in Delhi

Deccan Herald08-05-2025

Participated in Israel's 77th Independence Day celebration program in New Delhi today.
I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all my friends from Israel on this auspicious occasion.
As we celebrate this important day for Israel, let us take this opportunity to further… pic.twitter.com/nJcDO58cXa

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Jimmy Carr hosts secret Israeli party at British museum

The National

16-05-2025

The National

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. READ MORE: Labour suffers blow as Albania snubs Rwanda-style scheme 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. READ MORE: SNP win by-election as Reform UK beat Scottish Labour 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".

Kemi Badenoch, Nigel Farage and Jimmy Carr attend secret Israeli party at British Museum

Middle East Eye

15-05-2025

Middle East Eye

Kemi Badenoch, Nigel Farage and Jimmy Carr attend secret Israeli party at British Museum

On Tuesday, staff at the British Museum were reportedly told there would be a "large corporate event" that evening. They said they were asked to leave work early. That evening, British ministers and prominent politicians were seen arriving at the country's largest museum. So was Jimmy Carr, one of Britain's most prominent television personalities. The event, which had not been advertised, was no corporate affair. This clandestine party had been organised by the Israeli embassy to celebrate the anniversary of Israel's 77th Independence Day. Word of the event had been leaked and pro-Palestine protesters arrived outside the museum gates, where they were greeted by the Metropolitan Police - who penned them into a side street. Inside the museum, the Labour ministers in attendance could listen to entertainment by the host, Carr, while rubbing shoulders with prominent opposition politicians who had been invited to the exclusive bash. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Among them was Nigel Farage - leader of Reform UK, which polls regularly indicate is the most popular party in the country. Also seen was Kemi Badenoch - leader of the Conservative party. It was quite a statement for these British politicians to attend an event at which the keynote speech was given by Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely, who once called the Nakba an "Arab lie" and is an avowed opponent of the creation of a Palestinian state. More so, given that it has been less than a week since Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to "capture" Gaza and hold its territory, and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich vowed that Gaza would be entirely destroyed. Moreover, earlier on Tuesday, the British government was in court facing a legal challenge over its decision to allow the export of F-35 parts to a global pool that could eventually end up in Israeli jets. Monstrous that UK Government Ministers can still party in London, celebrating the British contribution to Israel's Gaza Genocide, even as starvation stalks 2 million civilians & Netanyahu publicly makes clear that he intends ethnic cleansing for the entire Palestinian population — William Dalrymple (@DalrympleWill) May 15, 2025 Hotovely is herself no stranger to controversy. She takes an interventionist approach to British politics. In recent months, for example, the ambassador issued an official complaint to the BBC over a documentary it aired on children in Gaza, because the child's narrator was the son of a minister in Gaza. The film was ultimately pulled. She also launched an unexpected attack on the mayor of London over his annual Eid al-Fitr message. The Israeli embassy accused him of "spouting Hamas propaganda" for talking about suffering in Gaza (Sadiq Khan's office responded accurately that he has "repeatedly" condemned Hamas). "Israel knows how to party," wrote journalist Jonny Gould in the caption of a photo he posted of himself in the museum, posing with a delighted-looking Farage. The walls inside the insitution, which is publicly funded, were lit up in blue and white, the colours of the Israeli flag, and the Israeli national anthem was played. Speech by British minister The party was imbued with a serious air when Britain's minister for defence procurement and industry, Maria Eagle, took to the stage to give a speech. She boasted about the regular Royal Air Force spy planes that have been flying over Gaza on reconnaissance missions, and of Britain's help in defending Israel from Iranian attacks. UK blocks Labour MP from asking about Israeli bombers using British airbase Read More » "The UK stood with Israel, with the RAF conducting surveillance flights over the Eastern Mediterranean in support of hostage rescue efforts," Eagle told a rowdy crowd. "We stood with Israel; when Iran launched its reckless coordinated missile and drone attacks, with RAF aircraft intercepting a number of them." She said 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". But it was unclear how much of the speech the crowd heard. At one point a guest walked onto the stage and took the microphone from Eagle. "She's speaking. I know we're Israeli, I know we don't like listening for long," she told the partygoers, "but please, give her five more minutes, it's really embarassing." Eagle took it in her stride. "I'm a politician - I expect people to speak over me. You just carry on regardless," she said. The minister called for "a deal that brings a stop to the fighting, enables the release of all hostages, gets the aid flowing and establishes a political horizon with a credible and irreversible path for peace". It is unlikely that Hotovely approved of this sentiment. Her own keynote speech focused on emphasising the threat of Iran ("the most dangerous state actor in the world today") and the need to dismantle its nuclear enrichment programme. 'I'm a politician - I expect people to speak over me' - Maria Eagle, UK defence minister Stephen Crabb, a former Tory minister, was seen at the event. So was Lord Ian Austin, Britain's trade envoy to Israel. Middle East Eye spoke to Energy Embargo for Palestine (EEFP), which describes itself as an "anti-imperialist climate organisation" and organised the protest outside the museum. "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," an EEFP spokesperson said. The spokesperson 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". MEE has asked the British Museum for comment.

Deccan Herald

08-05-2025

Deccan Herald