Conservative Friends of Israel

Activities

The group's 2005 strategy identified the following areas of activity: supporting Israel, promoting the British Conservative Party, fighting terrorism, combating antisemitism, and promoting peace in the Middle East. According to their website, "over two-thirds" of Conservative MPs were members of Conservative Friends of Israel in 2006. In 2007 the Political Director stated it had over 2,000 members and registered supporters. In 2009, at least half of the shadow cabinet were members of the group according to a Dispatches documentary.

Their website states the opinion that it is one of the fastest growing political lobby groups in the UK. According to the Dispatches documentary, between 2006 and 2009 the CFI funded more than 30 Conservative parliamentary candidates to visit Israel.

In 2012 CFI reconstituted itself as a private company limited by guarantee.

CFI annual business lunch

On 30 January 2006, David Cameron, then newly elected Conservative leader, addressed the CFI annual business lunch whose audience included half of the Conservative Parliamentary Party. As part of his speech, he stated "I am proud not just to be a Conservative, but a Conservative friend of Israel; and I am proud of the key role CFI plays within our Party. Israel is a democracy, a strong and proud democracy, in a region that is, we hope, making its first steps in that direction."

Former Conservative party leaders Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard have addressed the CFI lunch.

The MP Sajid Javid has also made business lunch speeches which have been positively received by the CFI, with The Jewish Chronicle even reporting Javid as a future Prime Minister.

Donations

The Dispatches documentary claimed members of the group and their companies have donated over £10 million to the Conservative party between 2001 and 2009. The group called this figure "deeply flawed" saying that they have only donated £30,000 between 2004 and 2009 but that members of the group have undoubtedly made their own donations to the party. Dispatches described the CFI as "beyond doubt the most well-connected and probably the best funded of all Westminster lobbying groups".

Members of CFI

In 2014, CFI stated that 80% of Conservative MPs were members.

In alphabetical order, members of Conservative Friends of Israel include:

• Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom{{cite news | url=https://www.thejc.com/news/ministers-will-change-war-crimes-arrest-law-dcilztn6| title=Ministers "will change" war crimes arrest law | date=8 July 2010| newspaper=Jewish Chronicle}}
• Graham Brady MP{{cite news | url=http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/31178/altrincham-and-sale-west-election-2010| title=Altrincham and Sale West: Election 2010| date=29 April 2010| newspaper=Jewish Chronicle}}
• Alistair Burt MP
• David Cameron
• James Clappison
• Stephen Crabb MP – CFI's Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Commons, 2017
• Steve Double
• Iain Duncan Smith MP
• Lord Hague of Richmond{{cite news |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100406054043/http://www.totallyjewish.com/news/national/?content_id=13722 |archive-date = 6 April 2010}}
• Robert Halfon MP{{cite news | url=http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/politics/ministers_lose_seats_in_the_east_1_295385| title=Ministers lose seats in the East| date=7 May 2010| newspaper=East Anglia Daily Times}}
• Lord Harrington
• Lord Kalms{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/nov/16/pro-israel-lobby-conservatives-channel4-dispatches| title=Pro-Israel lobby group bankrolling Tories, film claims| date=16 November 2009|work=The Guardian |location=London
• Sajid Javid MP
• Stuart Polak, Baron Polak
• Priti Patel MP
• Lord Pickles – CFI's Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Lords as of 2023{{cite news | url=http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/140638/sir-eric-pickles-lead-mps%E2%80%99-delegation-israel| title=Eric Pickles to lead MPs' delegation to Israel| date=24 July 2015| newspaper=Jewish Chronicle}}
• Sir Malcolm Rifkind
• Sheryll Murray
• Greg Smith MP
• Theresa Villiers, MP
• Philip Hollobone MP

References

References

1. (2000-01-01). "Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations: Parties, Groups and Movements of the 20th Century". A&C Black.
2. Harpin, Lee. (14 May 2018). "'Hamas are manipulating Gaza citizens', says leading Tory MP as scores die". The Jewish Chronicle.
3. Peter Oborne. (12 December 2012). "The cowardice at the heart of our relationship with Israel". The Daily Telegraph.
4. (16 November 2009). "Dispatches: Inside Britain's Israel Lobby". Channel 4.
5. Oborne, Peter. (27 November 2013). "Iran nuclear deal: ill-informed friends of Israel are refusing to face facts". The Daily Telegraph.
6. (February 2007). "CFI INFORMED Magazine, Second Edition". Conservative Friends of Israel.
7. link. (26 September 2008)
8. Robert Halfon. (27 September 2007). "Introducing the CFI". ConservativeHome.
9. Black, Ian. (16 November 2009). "Pro-Israel lobby group bankrolling Tories, film claims". The Guardian.
10. "Home".
11. "Companies House WebCHeck – CONSERVATIVE FRIENDS OF ISRAEL LIMITED". Companies House.
12. (3 February 2006). "CFI INFORMED Weekly Briefing". Conservative Friends of Israel.
13. link. (20 July 2006 , ''Conservatives.com'', 10 December 2001)
14. (6 December 2004). "Howard Speech to the Conservative Friends of Israel, at the Savoy Hotel, London". Conservatives.com.
15. (13 December 2012). "Muslim Tory MP: After Britain, Israel is best".
16. "About CFI". Conservative Friends of Israel.
17. (15 May 2010). "UK: Evangelical Christian appointed new UK Middle East Minister". The Muslim News.
18. (5 September 1989). "History". .cfoi.co.uk.
19. (6 July 2018). "In Jerusalem Post CFI Parliamentary Chairmen announce plans to take UK-Israel relations forward". Conservative Friends of Israel.
20. "Cameron's Cabinet: Who are they?".
21. "About Conservative Friends of Israel".
22. "About CFI". Conservative Friends of Israel.
23. (7 May 2010). "Rifkind elected as Kensington MP". Jewish Chronicle.
24. "Ed Miliband will back Israel". Middle East Monitor.