TV Station Lobby

Lore & Background

The first series was produced using undercover techniques, relying primarily on fly on the wall footage from a surreptitious bodycam and other cameras whose presence were not known to those being filmed. The film took six months to make and was broadcast on Al Jazeera in January 2017. A conversation between Shai Masot, an official at the Israeli embassy in London, and a British civil servant was recorded. In the recording, Masot discussed his desire to 'take down' British politicians, including Alan Duncan, then Minister of State for Europe and the Americas, who was a critic of Israeli settlements. The British civil servant said Crispin Blunt, whom Masot described as 'strongly pro-Arab rather than pro-Israel', was on a 'hitlist'. Masot was also recorded setting up a pro-Israel youth organisation, which he intended to link to the existing Labour Friends of Israel. He was recorded telling Joan Ryan, Chair of Labour Friends of Israel, that he had £1 million to fund trips to Israel for Labour Friends of Israel MPs.

In Their Own Story

Joan Ryan was shown arguing with Labour Party member and pro-Palestine activist Jean Fitzpatrick about a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestine at the 2016 Labour Party Conference. Ryan lodged a formal complaint of antisemitic behaviour as a result of this conversation. Her account of the incident was disputed and her complaint was later dismissed. Fitzpatrick told Al Jazeera that 'If you do talk about Palestine, it would appear you're kind of sucked into having an accusation of anti-Semitism brought against you'. The film also included an interview with Jackie Walker, who was accused of antisemitism in relation to remarks she made at the conference. Walker told Al Jazeera that 'I would say there is a crisis in the way the anti-Semitism is being manipulated and being used by certain parts – not just in the Labour Party but other parties and the media to discredit Jeremy Corbyn and a number of his supporters'. The Israeli ambassador, Mark Regev, apologised to Alan Duncan for the comments made by Masot. Masot was sent back to Israel and resigned, as did the civil servant involved.

Reader's Guide

The second series, The Lobby – USA, featured an Al Jazeera reporter named James Anthony Kleinfeld who infiltrated several pro-Israel advocacy organizations in Washington, D.C. including Stand With Us, Brandeis Center, The Israel Project, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the Israel on Campus Coalition, the Zionist Organization of America's Fuel For Truth, and the Canary Mission. One of the major claims in the film is that Israeli-American real estate investor Adam Milstein funds Canary Mission, an anonymous website that records and shames people it believes 'promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews on North American college campuses'. The evidence for the claim is an exchange between Al Jazeera's undercover reporter 'Tony', who is posing as an intern, and Eric Gallagher, an employee at The Israel Project. Gallagher tells 'Tony' that Milstein spoke with him on the phone about starting a 'name-and-shame' effort, and solicited his feedback. 'So, Adam Milstein funds The Israel Project and he's funding the Canary Mission website?' Tony asks. 'Yeah, which is interesting because it makes us seem as though we're a part of it, but we're not,' Gallagher responds, referring to The Israel Project. In a statement to JTA, a spokesperson for Milstein denied that he funded Canary Mission. The spokesperson also provided an email from Gallagher where he denied having referred to Milstein.

Did You Know?

• The first series took six months to make and was broadcast on Al Jazeera in January 2017.
• Shai Masot, an official at the Israeli embassy in London, was recorded discussing a 'hitlist' that included Crispin Blunt.
• Masot told Joan Ryan he had £1 million to fund trips to Israel for Labour Friends of Israel MPs.
• In October 2017, Ofcom rejected complaints that the series was antisemitic or had breached impartiality rules.
• Leaked portions of the second series were aired by The Electronic Intifada in late August and early September 2018.