Fringe group that previously apologised for assisting antisemitism-denier now demands Jewish Book Week include “Palestinian voices”

A fringe group that was previously forced to apologise after it was revealed that it had assisted an antisemitism-denier has demanded that Jewish Book Week include “Palestinian voices”.

Na’amod: British Jews Against Occupation, protested at Jewish Book Week yesterday, explaining on Twitter: “Na’amod went to Jewish Book Week to ask why our community is hosting a panel about Israeli democracy without a single Palestinian voice. We handed out leaflets & spoke with attendees about how excluding Palestinian voices while including [pro-Israel] organisations…ignores the occupation and contributes to a culture of anti-Palestinian racism.

“What credibility does a panel like this have when it fails to engage with those at the sharp-end of Israel’s non-democracy? We think it’s time Jewish Book Week is honest with itself and its audiences: there is no democracy with occupation. We hope that in future, our community will not only engage with the reality of Israeli occupation but prioritise solidarity with Palestinians and Israelis seeking a just and equitable future.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the State of Israel” is an example of antisemitism.

Last year, Naamod was forced to apologise after the researcher David Collier revealed that it had assisted Pete Gregson, who was organising a tour for the fringe and controversial Neturei Karta group’s Rabbi Dovid Weiss and the inflammatory academic Azzam Tamimi.

In 2019, Pete Gregson was suspended by the Labour Party and expelled from the pro-Corbyn pressure group Momentum and the GMB union for saying that Israel was a “racist endeavour” which “exaggerates” the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis for “political ends”. He has a history of inflammatory conduct.