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
BICOM was founded in 2002 by
Poju Zabludowicz
Chaim "Poju" Zabludowicz (born 6 April 1953) is a Finnish-born British billionaire businessman, art collector and philanthropist.Midgley, Dominic (5 March 2010)"FINN CITY..." ''Highbeam Business'' (London). Retrieved 23 June 2013.
Early life a ...
following the
Second Intifada
The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israel. ...
. It is funded through private donations.
In 2005,
Ruth Smeeth joined as director of public affairs and campaigns.
In 2009, it was described 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
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
councillor Luke Akehurst. ''We Believe in Israel'' provides learning materials to both the
Board of Deputies of British Jews
The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and second oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom, after only the Initiation Society which was founded in 1745. Established ...
and the
United Synagogue.
It is a member of the
Jewish Leadership Council.
According to their website, ''We Believe in Israel'' was launched following the ''We Believe in Israel Conference'' in
London in May 2011, supported by 26 community organisations and attended by 1500 delegates.
In the 2010s, the group asked
The Co-operative Group to reverse its decision to boycott certain Israeli products.
''Fathom'' journal
''Fathom'' was founded in 2012 by political theorist
Alan Johnson as a quarterly online scholarly journal under the motto: ''Fathom: for a deeper understanding of Israel and the region''.
Martin Sherman of the
Israel Institute for Strategic Studies
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
accused ''Fathom'' in 2016 of "stifling debate" by refusing to publish articles by writers who oppose the
two-state solution.
See also
*
Israel lobby in the United Kingdom
References
External links
Official WebsiteFathom JournalWe Believe in Israel
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 organizations
Lobbying in the United Kingdom
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