Misplaced Pages

Latest revision as of 03:36, 17 November 2024

The Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) is a UK-based organisation which acts to promote awareness of Israel and the Middle East in the United Kingdom. BICOM publishes materials such as briefings and a journal, Fathom, covering the history, economy, culture and politics of Israel, Middle East peace plans, terrorism in the Middle East, UK-Israel relations and foreign policy.

History

After the outbreak of the Second Intifada, British Jews founded the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) to promote a more supportive environment for Israel in the UK, principally through work with the media.

In 2005, Ruth Smeeth joined as director of public affairs and campaigns.

In 2009, it was criticized as "one of the most persistent and slickest media operations in the battle for influence over opinion formers".

We Believe in Israel

"We Believe in Israel" is BICOM's pro-Israel advocacy organization in the United Kingdom. The current director is former Labour councillor Luke Akehurst. "We Believe in Israel" provides learning materials to both the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the United Synagogue. It is a member of the Jewish Leadership Council.

Fathom journal

In November 2012, BICOM launched Fathom, a quarterly online scholarly journal edited by Professor Alan Johnson and deputy edited by scholar Toby Greene. According to Johnson. the journal would present a wide range of voices and seek to "paint an honest and nuanced portrait of Israel as it is, even if not always flattering." As of 2014, Fathom had 30,000 readers, mostly in the UK, but also in Europe, the United States, and Israel. As an adjunct to the journal, BICOM ran Fathom seminars for members of the think tank community, academics, and policymakers.

Contributors to Fathom include journalists David Landau and Aluf Benn of Haaretz, Dave Rich, scholar David Hirsh, and author Steven Lee Beeber.

Martin Sherman of the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies accused Fathom in 2016 of "stifling debate" by refusing to publish articles by writers who oppose the two-state solution from an Israeli right wing perspective.

See also

• Israel lobby in the United Kingdom

References

1. Greene, Toby (2014). Blair, Labour, and Palestine: Conflicting Views on Middle East Peace After 9/11. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 30. ISBN 978-1628923995.
2. "Smeeth exits Sodexho for pro-Israel lobby group". PR Week. 9 September 2005. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
3. Syal, Rajeev (4 January 2009). "How the pro-Israel lobby in Britain benefits from a generous London tycoon". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
4. "Why non-Jewish Luke's family has always given support to Israel". Jewish Telegraph.
5. "We Believe in Israel Essay 2 - Zionism and the foundation of the State of Israel". United Synagogue.
6. ^ "Constituent Members". Jewish Leadership Council. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
7. Johnson, Alan; Greene, Toby (7 November 2012). "Founding Fathom: Why do we need another journal about Israel?". Times of Israel. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
8. ^ "Introducing BICOM and Fathom: working to provide a more supportive environment for Israel in Britain". Brandeis Center. 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
9. Sherman, Martin (1 April 2016). "Stifling debate - BICOM's blatant bias". Jerusalem Post.

External links

• Official website
• Fathom Journal
• We Believe in Israel

v t e   Jews and Judaism in the United Kingdom
General	Anglo-Jewish Association Board of Deputies of British Jews Campaign Against Antisemitism Community Security Trust Jewish Leadership Council London Jewish Forum Scottish Council of Jewish Communities Union of Jewish Students
Education and studies	British Association for Jewish Studies Gateshead Talmudical College Holocaust Educational Trust Holocaust Memorial Day Institute for Jewish Policy Research Jewish Book Week Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain Jewish Historical Society of England Jewish Museum London JW3 Leo Baeck College Limmud London School of Jewish Studies
Religious	Jewish cemeteries in the London area Jewish communities in the United Kingdom Orthodox Federation of Synagogues Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations United Synagogue Chief Rabbi Conservative Masorti Judaism Progressive Liberal Judaism Reform Judaism
Publications	The Jewish Chronicle Jewish News Jewish Quarterly Jewish Renaissance Jewish Telegraph Jewish Tribune Jewish Year Book
Charities	Jewish Care Jewish Association for Mental Illness - Jami Jewish Council for Racial Equality Kisharon Limmud Maccabaeans Norwood René Cassin Tzedek World Jewish Relief
Political	Jewdas Jewish Labour Movement Jewish Socialists' Group Jewish Voice for Labour Jews for Justice for Palestinians
Israeli relations	Betar UK Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre Conservative Friends of Israel Independent Jewish Voices Labour Friends of Israel Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel Na'amod Northern Ireland Friends of Israel WIZO UK Yachad Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland "Israel lobby in the United Kingdom"
Related	All-Party Parliamentary Group against Antisemitism British Hero of the Holocaust Council of Christians and Jews Israel–United Kingdom relations
Category List of British Jews List of synagogues

This article about an organisation in the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• Political organisations based in the United Kingdom
• Media analysis organizations and websites
• Non-governmental organizations involved in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
• 2002 establishments in the United Kingdom
• Organizations established in 2002
• Zionism in the United Kingdom
• Zionist organisations in the United Kingdom
• Lobbying in the United Kingdom
• United Kingdom organisation stubs