Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with British Prime Minister David Cameron, at Cameron’s office at 10 Downing Street, London, England, on September 10, 2015. Photo by Avi Ohayon/GPO
London — Once controlling an empire spanning every continent, the UK has been undergoing an identity crisis in recent years. In 2014, Scotland, which has been part of the UK for over 300 years, held a referendum on whether to remain part of the country. The people voted to stay.
Now in 2016, after years of discontent with the European Union (EU), the British people will decide on whether or not to leave the 28-country bloc in a June 23 referendum.
For the British-Jewish community, which has faced growing anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism both within the UK and the EU, the decision holds a wide range of implications.
Standing at roughly a quarter million people, the British-Jewish community is the second largest in Europe behind France. Despite its relatively small size, comprising only about 0.5% of the UK’s population, the Jewish community has had outsized influence on the country with many leading business and political figures of Jewish descent.
“Like the rest of the population, the Jewish community is really divided. You got some people who support [the] Labour [party] and they want to stay in and some people who want to go out. There really isn’t a clear picture of it,” James Sorene, CEO of the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM), told Jewish News Service.
The referendum on European Union membership, which is commonly referred to as the “Brexit,” was a campaign promise by Prime Minister David Cameron during the country’s 2015 national election.
Growing resentment of the EU and its influence over domestic policy has been channeled by far-right political parties such as the UK Independence Party, which calls for the country’s exit from the EU, and even a large share of Cameron’s Conservative party.
Many who favor leaving the EU argue that it has cost the country billions of British pounds per year in membership fees without any substantial return, and imposes unnecessary rules and regulations on businesses.
Furthermore, they argue, EU membership has diminished the country’s national sovereignty as well as its right to control its borders and immigration.
Yet advocates of remaining in the EU argue that leaving would have profound and unforeseen consequences for the UK in areas such as trade, finance and national defense, serving to further diminish its status as a world power.
Polling on the upcoming referendum has shown that the British population has been largely split on the issue. According to a recent poll conducted by the Economist, 43% favor leaving the EU, 42% favor remaining and 12% are undecided.
In an attempt to assuage fears in the UK over the EU’s growing threat to its sovereignty, Cameron, who favors remaining, has already renegotiated the UK’s treaty with the EU to allow for further national sovereignty if the country votes to stay.
The Israeli government — unlike those of the US or other EU members states, who all support the UK remaining — has largely been silent on the referendum issue. But if the UK voted to leave the EU, it would likely have profound consequences for the Jewish state in a number of areas ranging from economic and political relationships to the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
“The UK has been supportive of Israel, so if it was no longer in the EU, you wouldn’t have those pro-Israel voices at the table,” BICOM’s Sorene said.
In recent years, the EU has taken a hard stance on Israel’s involvement in the disputed territories. Last year, the EU issued labeling guidelines on products coming from Israeli settlements, straining relations with Israel.
“While it is true that Britain often adopts the wider EU position [on Israel], I think it is still important to have the UK around the table to discuss those issues. If it was no longer there then it wouldn’t be part of those discussions,” Sorene said.
“The UK is often more aligned with the US on its stance on Israel and its conflict with the Palestinians . . .
“Not having the UK in the EU would be a major disadvantage for Israel,” he said.
The Jewish state also has close economic ties with the UK, as several Israeli companies are listed on the London Stock Exchange.
“In many ways the other item for Israel is that they have a very large trading relationship with the UK. I don’t know how that is going to change if the UK leaves the EU,” said Sorene.
Sorene also expressed concern over the growing populism across Europe, and what that might mean for the continent’s Jewish community and for Israel.
“The people who want Britain to leave and want the EU to break up are also mostly right-wing populists who are also anti-immigration,” he said.
“That’s an issue of deep concern because they are going to feel stronger and more emboldened. There has been a lot of scaremongering in the UK over these issues . . .
“I think the main thing for me is the debate about immigration and it is quite xenophobic and very dangerous for the UK, the Jewish community and Israel.”
