Antisemitism claims used in UK to silence Israel criticism, says ex-Tory minister

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) — Alan Duncan, a former UK Foreign Office minister and veteran Conservative politician, has accused his party of corruption after an internal probe cleared him of antisemitism allegations.

Duncan, who served as a lawmaker for 27 years and held ministerial roles twice, criticized the Conservative Party for launching an investigation over his comments during an LBC interview without any formal complaint being lodged.

In the April interview, Duncan criticized the Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) parliamentary group for allegedly exerting undue influence on UK government policy, stating, "The Conservative Friends of Israel has been doing the bidding of (Israeli Premier) Netanyahu, bypassing all proper processes of government to exercise undue influence at the top of government."

The party, in response, initiated an investigation into these remarks, accusing Duncan of using antisemitic tropes by suggesting Jewish people were more loyal to Israel than their own country.

Duncan revealed that he had been exonerated by the internal investigation, though this did little to alleviate his outrage at the party launching the probe without any formal complaint, suggesting the move was a fabricated attempt to silence him.

"It's pretty scandalous that a party decided to investigate because there hadn't actually been a complaint. So, they made up a complaint for themselves to try and silence me," Duncan said in an interview with Anadolu.

Duncan’s tenure in Conservative politics has been marked by frequent conflicts with his party, particularly over his outspoken views on the Middle East and his criticism of Israel.

According to him, antisemitism is being misused in British politics to stifle dissent, and it is up to the media to scrutinize the motivation behind such accusations and differentiate between genuine antisemitism and politically motivated allegations.

"If an accusation of antisemitism is not justified but is used as a weapon to try and silence someone or bully them, then that itself is unacceptable," Duncan asserted.

- 'Ethnic cleansing'

But despite the political implications, Duncan argued that it remains crucial that Israeli policies towards Palestinians and its actions in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank remain in focus.

He condemned Israel's response to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian group Hamas, calling for international scrutiny into the country's disproportionate actions that he said constitute "ethnic cleansing."

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice for its ongoing war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 38,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, injured over 89,100 others, and left hundreds of thousands more facing famine and starvation.

"Nearly 40,000 people have been killed, and there is clearly an attempt to displace people improperly. It's ethnic cleansing. It's making Gaza uninhabitable," he said.

He also criticized the international community's response in the wake of Israel's onslaught.

"We have to make a stand against Israeli settlements, growing settler activity, and demolitions of Palestinian homes," Duncan said, stressing the need to focus on international law and human rights.

"I hope now the press and media will refocus their attention on that and support international law, the UN, and the rights of Palestinians," he said.

The British lawmaker urged a return to moderate dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, highlighting the harm caused by Israeli extremism.

"So long as Netanyahu remains influential, Israel has become and will remain a rogue state," he said.

"We need to go back to decent, moderate Israelis talking to decent, moderate Palestinians."