Who runs Tory foreign policy?

"Conservative Friends of Israel" seem to think they do !

William Hague criticised Israeli actions in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict saying "I think we can say that elements of the Israeli response are disproportionate, including attacks on Lebanese army units, the loss of civilian life and essential infrastructure and such enormous damage to the capacity of the Lebanese government." The CFI, a hugely influential sector of the party, is incandescent. Hague got ruffled:

Lord Stanley Kalms (member of cfi), former Conservative party treasurer who has given more than £500,000 to the Tories since 2001, writing in The Spectator accused Mr Hague of behaving like an "ignorant armchair critic". Robert Halfon, Political Director of CFI and Conservative Party's parliamentary candidate for Harlow said "We do not dis-agree with anything said by Lord Kalms".

Does the CFI put the interest of Conservative Party or Israel first? To answer this question I'm reminded of David Garrard. He was regarded as a devotee of the Conservative Party cause and was praised in 2001 by Iain Duncan Smith at the CFI Conference. He paid £70,000 for a call centre at Conservative Central Office. The party showed its gratitude by putting up a plaque in his honour at Central Office. In the same year he made a £200,000 donation to Labour and subsequently became embroiled Cash for Peerages saga (he's now member of Labour friends of Israel). And lets not forget Jonathan Metliss, Executive of CFI, who recently bacame embroiled at centre of NHS sleaze row.

1 Responses to “Who runs Tory foreign policy?”

  1. # Anonymous Anonymous

    Some very interesting observations verywell written up. I think I read somewhere that half the shadow cabinet is jewish. Might be a subject of a follow up article.  

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