JNF ‘can’t trust Jews to defend Israel’

JNF Spokesman attacks the (Jewish) community:  'You don't defend Israel properly'
By Marcus Dysch, Jewish Chronicle, April 19, 2012

A leading pro-Israel activist believes the mainstream Jewish community "cannot be trusted" to defend Israel and claims non-Jews are now leading the way in combating delegitimisation efforts...He said Jewish communal leaders "shied away" from discussing Israel whenever possible.  The overriding sentiment I encounter is that the Jewish community will do the bare minimum to defend Israel...

"I would say non-Jews are doing more to defend Israel in Britain," said Mr Westrop. "It's odd when you can rely more on non-Jews than the Jewish community."

The British Israel Coalition (BIC) is an umbrella group of Israel supporters formed last year. It claims to have more than 2,500 members, including Christians and Muslims, and says it exists to "combat the visceral hatred of Israel that is championed by the delegitimisation network".

Mr Westrop, who is also a press officer for the JNF, said a team of 30 BIC activists had worked for six months to monitor and collate references to last weekend's "flytilla" initiative, sending details to Israeli officials and airlines.

He added: "I have heard nothing about the flytilla from the Jewish Leadership Council or the Board of Deputies. It's worrying."

"...Westrop criticised the Zionist Federation and said its claims that it would lead the way in organising counter-protests were "obviously nonsense".

Jon Benjamin, executive director of the Board of Deputies, was more circumspect. He said: "The Board and partner organisations are doing an enormous amount of work countering the most invidious efforts of the PSC and BDS movement."

Full report in Jewish Chronicle 19 April 2012