News
UK Lawyers For Israel postpone controversial speaker amid threat of protests
Naomi Linder Kahn, from Regavim which fights for 'the preservation of Israel’s land', will not speak as scheduled
August 29, 2019 10:36
Naomi Linder Kahn, from Regavim which fights for 'the preservation of Israel’s land', will not speak as scheduled
August 29, 2019 10:36UK Lawyers For Israel has postponed an event where they were due to host a controversial speaker amid the threat of protests.
Naomi Linder Kahn, a senior figure from Regavim, an advocacy organisation that groups including the Jewish Labour Movement and Yachad have labelled "extremist", was due to give a talk on ‘The Struggle to Preserve Israel’s Land’.
Regavim should not be welcome to speak in the UK.
— Jewish Labour Movement (@JewishLabour) August 16, 2019
This is an excellent thread from @YachadUK outlining Regavim's extremist views ⤵️ https://t.co/PcyVPAtRBm
The group campaigns against the construction of Arab and Bedouin villages in the West Bank.
UKLFI announced this week the event was postponed because “a consortium of BDS activists and anti-Israel groups planned a mass demonstration at the event.”
Regavim files lawsuits that impede the construction of ‘illegal buildings’ in Israel, primarily affecting Palestinian and Bedouin families.
Regavim was co-founded by Bezalel Smotrich, a “proud homophobe” who advocated segregation between Jews and Arabs and has called gay pride parades in Israel “beast parades.”
Haaretz has reported that he lives on an illegal settlement in the West Bank.
UKLFI, whose patrons include Lord Carlile and Lord Pannick, released a statement defending the decision to invite a member of Regavim, saying there had “been some misinformed and misdirected criticism of the proposed event… UKLFI Charitable Trust is not aligned with any particular political viewpoint or party in the UK or Israel.
“We are disappointed that freedom of speech has been inhibited on this occasion but we are hopeful that the talk can be re-arranged in the near future, so that the activities of Regavim and the issues it seeks to address can be discussed and criticised in an open and civilised way.”
They said Regavim seeks to "ensure proper application of planning laws both in Israel within the Green Line and in Area C of the West Bank, which is under Israeli administration in line with the Oslo Accords".
"Proper enforcement of these laws benefits Arabs as well as Jews," they added.
Yachad, a British group which promotes a two-state solution, welcomed the news saying: “We are glad to see the planned London event with the extremist settler group Regavim is now postponed.
“There is no place in our community for an extremist settler group like Regavim, nor for its fanatical ideology.”
Former Board of Deputies President Vivian Wineman also criticised UKLFI in a Facebook post for its decision to host Regavim.
“UKLFI is an Israel advocacy organisation. What are they doing bringing over the worst racist representatives of Israel politics? These racists do more to legitimise the Palestinian cause than any number of speeches from pro-Palestinian MPs.”
Jonathan Turner, UKLFI’s Chief Executive, responded: “Regavim seeks to ensure that planning laws are enforced both within the Green Line and in Area C of the West Bank which is under Israeli administration.
“Even if you think you may disagree with her views, they should be heard, discussed and criticised. We invite a range of speakers including speakers from the left and right of the Israeli political spectrum.”
In its own statement, Regavim said: “The threats surrounding our upcoming lecture represent a whole new level of cooperation between extreme Israeli and international leftist organisations with Palestinian organisations, who are acting together to silence dissenting opinions and competing narratives.”
