The third day of the National Jewish Assembly (NJA) Solidarity Mission to Israel provided a deep and sobering reflection on historical Jewish resilience, media accountability, and the challenges facing Israel today. The delegation engaged in a day packed with educational briefings, high-level discussions, and firsthand accounts that reinforced the ongoing struggle against misinformation and antisemitism.
The day commenced with an eye-opening presentation by Lyn Julius, co-founder and chair of Harif, an organisation dedicated to raising awareness about the plight of Jewish refugees from Arab lands. Julius highlighted the systematic ethnic cleansing of 850,000 Jews from Middle Eastern and North African countries, a historical reality often overshadowed in modern discourse.
Julius’ presentation laid bare the devastating erasure of Jewish history in the region. She pointed to examples such as the Tomb of the biblical prophet Ezekiel in Iraq, which was converted into a Shiite shrine, barring Jews from entry. UNESCO’s silence on this and countless other cases of Jewish historical sites being destroyed or repurposed was damning.
“People tend to think of the Middle East as the Arab world,” Julius noted, “but it is, in fact, a rich tapestry of indigenous peoples who lived here long before the advent of Islam.”
Her presentation also connected past antisemitism to present-day realities. She reminded the delegation of Shlomo Mantzur, 86, the oldest Israeli hostage held by Hamas. Mantzur was a survivor of the 1941 Iraqi Farhud massacre, where pro-Nazi Iraqi mobs murdered and pillaged Baghdad’s Jewish community. Eighty-two years later, he faced another pogrom – this time, at the hands of Hamas terrorists.
The next session was led by a senior representative from CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis), a watchdog organisation that monitors bias in media reporting on Israel and the Middle East.
The speaker, whose identity remains undisclosed for security reasons, provided a staggering overview of BBC Arabic’s bias against Israel. CAMERA has documented 137 instances of BBC Arabic misinformation since October 7th, and even uncovered seven BBC Arabic employees who publicly celebrated Hamas’ massacre of Israelis on social media.
The delegation was briefed on CAMERA’s role in uncovering media bias, including its contributions to two recent landmark reports:
1. The Asserson Report – a forensic analysis exposing systemic anti-Israel bias at the BBC.
2. The Cohen-Deech Report – highlighting deeply ingrained anti-Israel narratives in UK public broadcasting.
CAMERA also exposed Al Jazeera’s AJ+, a social media brand that, in 2019, posted a Holocaust-denying video titled: “What is the truth of the Holocaust and how did the Zionist movement benefit from it?” While the video was later deleted after international outcry, the journalists responsible were rehired and continued to produce antisemitic content.
The delegation later visited Asserson Law Offices, Israel’s largest international law firm, to gain insights into their legal campaign holding the BBC accountable for its anti-Israel bias. Lawyers and data analysts examined nine million words of BBC coverage and found that the broadcaster frequently misrepresented Hamas, portraying it more as a health ministry than a terrorist organisation. The study also found the BBC was significantly more likely to accuse Israel of war crimes than Hamas.
Asserson’s findings concluded that the BBC is failing in its public obligations and demonstrating a reckless disregard for journalistic integrity. Despite repeated calls for engagement, the BBC has refused to respond to the report.
At the session’s conclusion, NJA delegates were invited to propose community-led strategies to ensure this report gains wider traction.
The delegation then proceeded to the official residence of Simon Walters, the British Ambassador to Israel, in Ramat Gan. Under a clear blue sky, they engaged in an in-depth discussion about Israel’s ongoing multi-front war against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran’s proxy forces.
Walters acknowledged the lack of coverage in UK media regarding Israel’s daily bombardment by Hezbollah from Lebanon, stressing that he consistently relayed these facts back to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in London.
One of the more striking moments came when the Ambassador noted how Israel missed a golden opportunity to highlight Hezbollah’s Christmas Day missile barrage on Israeli civilians, a story that went largely unreported in Western media.
He also addressed the UK’s position on UNRWA, the Palestinian Authority’s ‘Pay for Slay’ policy, and ongoing Palestinian school textbook incitement. While pressed on the UK’s continued funding of the PA, Walters indicated that reforms were being examined, yet admitted that the Palestinian Authority remains deeply problematic as a governing entity.
Day three of the NJA Solidarity Mission underscored the critical need for international Jewish communities to actively engage in Israel’s fight against misinformation and delegitimisation.
The mission reaffirmed three core principles:
1. Historical Awareness – Jewish persecution did not begin or end with the Holocaust. The ethnic cleansing of Jews from Arab lands must be recognised and fought against.
2. Fighting Media Bias – Whether it is the BBC, Al Jazeera, or social media platforms, false narratives about Israel directly contribute to global antisemitism and must be exposed.
3. Political Advocacy – British Jewry must ensure that decision-makers do not appease Hamas sympathisers under the guise of diplomacy.
As the day came to a close, NJA Chairman Gary Mond reflected on the mission so far: “We are living in a time where standing on the sidelines is no longer an option. We have a duty to be relentless in our advocacy, to counter falsehoods, and to fight for the truth. Israel is not just defending itself – it is defending every Jew worldwide. We must stand with her, now and always.”
For more information on NJA’s advocacy efforts and future missions, contact office@nja.org.uk.
