Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: UK and Israel have a special relationship too

http://www.thejc.com/articles/uk-and-israel-have-a-special-relationship-too
Uri Dromi
December 4, 2008
It is in all our interests to uphold the links between Britain and the
Jewish state
I have just written the obituary of Binyamin Zironi for the Israeli
newspaper Ha’aretz. He was a former member of the vehemently anti-
British Zionist underground movement, Irgun, and his death evoked for
many in Israel the worst days of the British Mandate. Back then,
Zironi had a price of £200 on his head and was captured — and tortured
— by a CID officer, who, in turn, was killed by Zironi’s comrades.
But this is a relatively rare blemish. In general, the history of
relations between Britain and the Jewish inhabitants of the region
makes for happier reading.
At Bevis Marks Synagogue in London last week, the Jerusalem Foundation
UK launched a campaign celebrating 150 years of British commitment to
Jerusalem, non-Jewish as well as Jewish. The goals of the campaign are
to support the projects of the Foundation, especially in disadvantaged
neighbourhoods; foster ties between the UK and Jerusalem; increase
British support for Israel, particularly Jerusalem; and to build the
Mishkenot Sha’ananim Open Museum, dedicated to the life and work of
Sir Moses Montefiore.
It was Sir Moses who, in 1860, built Mishkenot Sha’ananim (peaceful
dwellings) — the first Jewish neighbourhood outside the walls of the
Old City, thereby establishing himself as the father of modern
Jerusalem. Montefiore replaced the old idea of Haluka (the collection
of diaspora money for dissemination among the poor of the Holy Land)
with a wider kind of philanthropy, enabling Jerusalemites to help
themselves.
Every morning on my way to work, I pass the windmill Sir Moses built
for the first residents of Mishkenot Sha’ananim for them to produce
their own flour rather than remain dependent on others. Today, it is a
favourite Jerusalem landmark, where couples come to be photographed on
their wedding day. At the same time, it serves as a constant reminder
for the residents of Jerusalem — now the poorest city in Israel — to
respond to the challenge Sir Moses gave them.
Since the time of Sir Moses Montefiore, British involvement in Israel
and Palestine has taken many forms. Some non-Jewish individuals, such
as Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen and Orde Wingate, were motivated by
their religious beliefs to help the Jews. But of course the greatest
British contribution to the Jewish national resurrection was the
Balfour Declaration, which established the political right of the Jews
to a homeland, after two millennia of exile.
The British authorities, during the 30 years of the mandate, worked
hand in hand with the Yishuv (the official institutions of the Jews,
mainly the Jewish Agency) and helped the Jews in Palestine to stand on
their own feet when they eventually had a state. Unlike the French,
the British always invested in promoting local institutions and
bureaucracies in lands where they held colonial sway. Few Israelis
today realise how much they owe to the Britons who ruled here before —
the cornerstones of the legal system, the civic administration and
more.
Today, for all the annoying distractions like the vicious attempts at
boycotting Israeli universities, and the threat to arrest the Israeli
General, Doron Almog, should he land in the UK, the British
contribution to the development of Israeli life continues, not with
American-style fanfares, but in quieter, profound ways.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair is now working tirelessly to
alleviate the living conditions of the underprivileged Palestinians.
Israelis and, indeed, Jews everywhere should support his efforts,
because a happy Palestinian neighbour is a good neighbour.
Following Foreign Secretary David Miliband’s visit to the region and
Israeli President Shimon Peres’s trip to London — where he was given
an honorary knighthood by the Queen — there are some good British-
Israeli vibes in the air. Let us all, in the Holy land and in Britain,
do all we can to ensure this vital link is maintained.

<full cut>
E ci credo, se non ci fossero stati i brits con il cavolo ora ci sarebbe 
stato lo stato di israele...
K