British Jews discuss peace efforts with Jordan's King Abdullah

Representatives of the British Jewish community met the King of Jordan on Friday to discuss the development of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.

The meeting, hosted by JLC chair of trustees Mick Davis, was also attended by senior figures from the Board of Deputies.

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UJIA's Mick Davis to get £29m to stay at Xstrata

UJIA’s chairman Mick Davis has been offered £29m, with bonuses of a further £6 million, to stay at the helm of mining company Xstrata, after the company merges.

South African-born Mr Davis, the chief executive of Xstrata and chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, is expected to remain chief executive when the company merges with commodity trader Glencore.

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Stand up to extremists, especially our own

First, Jewish Leadership Council chief executive Mick Davis argues that Israel risks becoming an apartheid state. Communal uproar follows. Then along comes the news that 39 Israeli rabbis signed an edict forbidding Jews from renting property to non-Jews. Did anyone else detect a touch of irony here?

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Left-wing criticism is not right

What is really behind the objections to Jewish Leadership Council chief Mick Davis's criticism of Israel? Is it what he said? To whom he said it? Or is the real issue, perhaps, who said it?

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I stand by my criticisms

In these pages last week, Jonathan Freedland accused me of indulging in a "viciously personal" attack on, and misrepresenting the views of, Mick Davis.

Let me begin with a clarification. My source was the Jewish Chronicle itself, which summarised Davis's remarks by stating: "One of British Jewry's most senior leaders this week shattered a long-standing taboo by publicly criticising Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu over the peace process, voicing moral reservations about some of Israel's policies and calling for criticism of Israel to be voiced freely throughout the community."

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Davis row 'sideshow' says Sacks

The Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, has said that controversy over UJIA leader Mick Davis's criticisms of Israel is "the wrong debate" which distracts from the real issue.

Lord Sacks had previously made only a brief statement, saying there was "much to be gained" from honest debate over Israel as long as it came with unshakeable commitment.

But he has now changed tack in an essay on last week's Torah portion, published on the United Synagogue website.

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Misplaced shots at true Zionist

Nearly a month has passed and the fallout keeps falling. The episode that future historians of Anglo-Jewry will surely dub "The Mick Davis Affair" goes on and on, as supporters and critics of the chairman of the UJIA argue ferociously about his right to speak, his motives and his judgment following the remarks he made about Israel and the diaspora at a public meeting in London in mid-November.

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Mouth open and foot put in

No one of any intelligence can dispute the right of Mr Mick Davis, as a private individual, to say - in public and within reason- whatever he likes about anything he feels the need to say anything he likes about. But if, in public, Mr Davis - the head of UJIA - chooses to unburden himself of certain prejudices to which he has succumbed concerning the state of Israel, its government and the proceedings of its parliament, he runs certain risks.

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