Asa Winstanley’s blog

UPDATED: Israeli campaign to attract UK tourists wipes Palestine and Syria off the map

Asa Winstanley 4 December 2011

Update: After “hundreds” of complaints, the Guardian has refused to publish subsequent ads from the Israeli tourism ministry. See full update below. An Israeli tourism map appearing in the Guardian last weekend rendered occupied Palestinian and Syrian territories as part of “Israel”. The map very much appears to be in breach of UK advertising regulations. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in 2009 upheld complaints against an Israeli tourism bilboard because it included a similar map, ruling the ad “must not appear again in its current form”. The three-page advertising spread from the Israeli tourism ministry in the Guardian Weekend is part of what increasingly looks like a major new advertising campaign in the UK. 

The Electronic Intifada barred from reporting inside UK “delegitimization” conference

Asa Winstanley 26 November 2011

An anti-Palestinian conference due to take place in the UK tomorrow has barred The Electronic Intifada from attending the event, despite admitting other journalists will be given free entry. “The Big Tent For Israel” in Manchester will bring together an alliance of pro-Israel groups specifically to combat the increasingly successful Palestinian campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS). New Israeli ambassador Daniel Tuab is due to address the conference as keynote speaker, according to its program. The event is focused on a 2010 report by influential Israeli think tank the Reut Institute, which named London as the “hub of hubs of delegitimization”. 

In new pinkwashing recruitment campaign, Israel offers free travel for propaganda services

Asa Winstanley 24 November 2011

The story of the floundering “Brand Israel” advertising campaign continues. An Israeli government ministry has established a propaganda website called Hasbara.gov.il – a Hebrew word often translated as “propaganda”. A notice was recently published on the site asking for volunteer “candidates eligible to conduct public diplomacy activities abroad”. The volunteers “will not be eligible for any remuneration” apart from “costs of travel, daily expenses and insurance”. The advert is also the latest episode in Israel’s cynical “pinkwashing” strategy. The ministry’s advert says it is looking particularly for “minority members” and “representatives of the gay community” to argue Israel’s case abroad. 

Raed Salah granted permission to appeal UK deportation in higher court

Asa Winstanley 11 November 2011

Leading Palestinian activist Sheikh Raed Salah has been granted permission to appeal deportation from the UK on all six grounds submitted to the judge, his lawyers said today. After losing an initial appeal in the First Tier (Immigration) Tribunal at the end of last month, Salah lodged another appeal in a higher court. In a press release, Salah’s lawyer Tayab Ali said: Being granted permission to appeal on all grounds is highly significant. It is clear that the Home Secretary has repeatedly exercised poor judgment. 

Professionals said to be behind hack attack on Russell Tribunal website

Asa Winstanley 8 November 2011

As the second day of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine’s South Africa session was underway in Cape Town on Sunday, the tribunal’s website was taken offline by a sophisticated cyber attack. The internet consultant who founded the Russell Tribunal website says the attack was “no amateur attempt”. UPDATE, 9 November: The site is finally back up as of this morning. It took 1&1 four days to restore service. 

London launch of Russell Tribunal book examining corporate complicity in Israel's occupation

Asa Winstanley 3 November 2011

The South Africa session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine will be opened by Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Saturday. Two weeks from now on Thursday 17 November there will be a book launch in London to celebrate the publication of my new book: Corporate Complicity in Israel’s Occupation. The book, which I edited along with Frank Barat, is a record of the findings of last year’s London session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine. 

UK anti-Semitism charity CST still spreading Israeli disinformation about Raed Salah

Asa Winstanley 31 October 2011

Since last week’s First Tier Tribunal ruling against Raed Salah’s appeal against deportation from the UK, Zionist ideologues have been gloating. But in fact the judgment (now released online) clears Salah of the central government accusation against him: that he wrote an anti-Semitic poem containing the line: “You Jews are criminal bombers of mosques”. This “poem” was fabricated in the context of a long-standing Israeli campaign of attacks, detentions and disinformation against Salah. The following is my analysis of the judgment. 

My appearance on al-Hiwar channel, explaining the Raed Salah case

Asa Winstanley 29 October 2011

Before this week’s decision by a British immigration court to refuse Sheikh Raed Salah’s appeal against deportation, I appeared on the Arabic satellite channel al-Hiwar. In conversation with Hanan Chehata (from MEMO), I give a general introduction and background to the case, for the channel’s English-language programme Jusoor (“Bridges”). 

Raed Salah loses initial appeal against deportation from UK

Asa Winstanley 26 October 2011

Palestinian popular leader and activist Sheikh Raed Salah’s appeal against deportation from the UK was rejected by the First Tier tribunal, an immigration court, it emerged today. The full ruling has yet to be released to the public, but was sent to the parties (Salah and the UK Border Agency) today. My full report for Electronic Intifada will follow soon, meanwhile the following press release has been issued. 

Asa Winstanley's picture

Asa Winstanley is an investigative journalist who lives in London. He is an associate editor of The Electronic Intifada and co-host of our podcast.

He is author of the bestselling book Weaponising Anti-Semitism: How the Israel Lobby Brought Down Jeremy Corbyn (OR Books, 2023).