‘Friends of Israel’ groups have funded 56 trips for British politicians

Pro-Israel lobby groups have flown British MPs out to the country at least 56 times since the Gaza genocide started.

An investigation by Declassified found that more than £133,000 has been spent on trips for Labour, Conservative and Reform MPs over two years.

They were paid by Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) and the European Leadership Network (ELNET), which describes itself as “the most influential pro-Israel advocacy organisation in Europe”. One trip was also funded by the newly-formed Reform Friends of Israel.

All of the lobby groups have highly opaque funding arrangements, and have consistently ignored questions about their donors.

It comes as parliament’s standards commissioner warned MPs against accepting hospitality if they wanted to boost public trust and be able to tell constituents: “You can be sure nobody is buying my favour”.

On Tuesday, the standards commissioner reprimanded Labour MP Cat Eccles, after Declassified revealed she had failed to declare her attendance on an LFI trip in time.

He said: “Ms Eccles has acknowledged and apologised for her breaches of the rules.”

In September this year, Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice MP was also flown out to Israel by Reform Friends of Israel (RFOI), which was set up in June.

Other MPs who have been on trips include Keir Starmer’s parliamentary private secretary, Jon Pearce; former Tory defence secretary Gavin Williamson; and the senior Conservative MP Robert Jenrick.

The figures are revealed in copies of parliament’s register of interests, published over the course of two years. They do not include trips made by members of the House of Lords, many of whom have also joined similar delegations.

Some of the trips taken by MPs include photo opportunities with Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, and briefings from the IDF.

When questioned by Declassified recently, one of the Labour MPs who travelled to Israel admitted: “I was asked to go. I just do as I’m told.”

Peter Prinsley, the MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, said he had “no idea” if voters cared about the fact he shook hands with President Herzog.

“I really don’t know that they’d be interested in it, to be quite honest,” he said.

Reform

With opinion polls suggesting that Nigel Farage could be the next UK prime minister, his Reform party has stepped up its relationship with Israel.

This has included an address by the Israeli deputy ambassador, Daniela Grudsky, at a fringe event during the Reform’s recent party conference.

Grudsky reportedly said: “We were not prepared for the warmth and the reception that we received here this morning … We do believe that we have friends here.”

The comments came after Richard Tice visited the country in September – meeting Herzog and foreign affairs minister Gideon Sa’ar, who “thanked him for standing by Israel”.

His visit took place a fortnight after a UN commission of inquiry had concluded Herzog had “incited the commission of genocide”.

Tice later spoke of his “extraordinary learning journey in Israel” and praised the country’s “united spirit”. Tice was asked to comment.

The trip was paid for by a newly-formed company called RFOI Ltd, which appears to stand for Reform Friends of Israel. The group’s formation was announced by one of Tice’s advisors at the conference.

Records show it was incorporated over the summer and is run by Roy Zabludowicz.

His involvement was first revealed by The National, who reported that he appears to be the son of billionaires Anita and Poju Zabludowicz.

The family are said to have initially made their money in the arms trade, before moving into the property and hotels sector.

Poju Zabludowicz is the co-founder of Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM), which was once described by the Guardian as “Britain’s most active pro-Israeli lobbying organisation”.

Secret funding

Despite funding dozens of British politicians, there is little transparency over where such lobby groups get their money from.

Last year, an investigation revealed that ELNET accepted donations from American billionaires – including some who had previously supported Donald Trump.

They include the co-founder of Home Depot, Bernie Marcus, who donated $300,000 to ELNET’s American fundraising arm between 2020 and 2022.

The group previously claimed that its delegations have “literally turned [politicians] around as pro-Israeli”.

Meanwhile, LFI and CFI have repeatedly refused to answer questions about donors.

In 2017, an Al Jazeera documentary exposed close relations between LFI and the Israeli embassy in London. One of the group’s officials was secretly filmed saying that they “work really closely together, but a lot of it is behind the scenes”.

However, last year the group stated: “LFI does not receive any money from the Israeli government or the Israeli Embassy.”

It added: “LFI’s work is supported by the generosity of members of the Jewish community and those who share our commitment to the State of Israel.”

The group – which was described as a “lobbying organisation” by one of its former directors – even keeps its membership list secret. It is believed to include dozens of Labour MPs, but a full list was deleted from the group’s website shortly before the election last year.

An LFI spokesperson reiterated this week that the organisation is supported by members of the Jewish community and does not receive any money from the Israeli government.

They added: “The personal safety and security of our donors, and all those targeted by anti-Zionist antisemites, will always be a major priority for LFI.

“Labour parliamentarians who participate in LFI delegations to Israel and the Palestinian Territories declare the value of those trips to the Electoral Commission and in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. As you will know, this information is publicly available and it is in line with the practice adopted by other similar organisations.”

‘Real progress’

Conservative Friends of Israel, meanwhile, has previously been described as “the most well-connected and probably the best funded of all Westminster lobbying groups” – and says it exists to “ensure that Israel’s case is fairly represented in Parliament”.

But, just like LFI, it does not disclose its funders. The organisation has previously stated: “CFI is a not-for-profit organisation that relies upon the generosity of its supporters. The organisation receives no funding from the state of Israel.”

Last month, Declassified revealed how – in 2015 – the group’s then-director, Stuart Polak, had consulted one of Israel’s top diplomats and a US billionaire about new funding opportunities.

Polak wrote: “I have made some real progress in obtaining support for my work for Israel from Paul Singer in NYC.”

Singer is a billionaire hedge fund manager and major donor to Friends of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), a group which raises funds for the Israeli armed forces. It was unclear whether Singer agreed to fund CFI.

CFI and ELNET were approached for comment.