Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters marched through the streets of central London on Sunday on the annual “Al Quds (Jerusalem) Day” demonstration convened by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), a British Muslim organization with close ties to the Iranian regime.

At a rally outside the US Embassy following the march, one speaker blamed this week’s tragic fire at west London’s Grenfell Tower public housing project on “Zionists.”

“Some of the biggest supporters of the Conservative Party are Zionists,” the speaker ranted. “They are responsible for the murder of the people in Grenfell. The Zionist supporters of the Tory Party.”

Read more: Hezbollah Flags Fly at ‘Al Quds Day’ March in London as Islamist Agitators Blame Grenfell Tower Tragedy on ‘Zionists’ | Jewish & Israel News Algemeiner.com

When I told my flatmate I’d interviewed Yotam Ottolenghi, he was proper impressed.Five years ago, the flatmate was living in London doing stand-up comedy at “small pubs in small towns, where people hadn’t necessarily paid to see you perform”, renting a house 10 minutes’ walk from one of the famed eateries which bears the Ottolenghi name.

It was a grim existence for a Kiwi in baggy trousers who’d moved to the UK to make a name for himself on the comedy circuit. The flatmate recalls spending most of his time travelling four hours out of town to perform a 30-minute set, “for very little money and very little crowds”.

The bright spot, though, was the restaurant down the road. Its windows were stacked with meringues the size of human heads, drizzled Jackson Pollock-style, with berry coulis. Enormous bowls of salads featuring foreign-sounding ingredients festooned the bright white counters beyond.

Read more: The ever-growing empire of MasterChef Australia judge Yotam Ottolenghi | Stuff.co.nz

The Wellington City Council has apologised to Sir Tim Rice after the word “Israel” vanished from song sheets featuring the renowned lyricist’s work.

The printed lyrics – with a modified version of Close Every Door from Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – were prepared for this year’s annual Wellington children’s festival, Artsplash.

In song sheets distributed to Wellington schools taking part in Artsplash, the phrase “Children of Israel” was changed to “Children of Kindness”.

Read more: Joseph and the amazing disappearing Israel reference | Stuff.co.nz

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman offered an optimistic outlook on Thursday regarding his country’s efforts to forge better ties with its neighbors. “The word ‘peace’ is not relevant in the Middle East,” Lieberman said during a Kol Chai radio interview, according to the Hebrew news site nrg.

“I’m talking about regional understandings. I reiterate: We’ve never been closer to a regional arrangement with moderate Arab countries and have never been so far from a deal of any sort with the Palestinians.”

“For the first time,” Lieberman went on to say, “those in the moderate Arab world have realized that the true danger to their rule is not Israel, but rather Hamas, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and ISIS.”

Read more: Israeli Defense Minister: We’ve Never Been Closer to Regional Arrangement With Moderate Arab States and Never Farther From Deal of Any Sort With Palestinians | Jewish & Israel News Algemeiner.com

The restoration of relations yesterday with Israel marks the end of what appears to have been an intense and divisive standoff within the Cabinet and National Party.

The standoff saw the Prime Minister, Bill English, effectively isolated in a minority of one among his Cabinet colleagues.The standoff began on December 23 last year when former Foreign Minister, Murray McCully, agreed that New Zealand co-sponsor a controversial UN Security Council resolution opposing Israeli settlements on occupied territories.

POLITIK has learned that once former Foreign Minister, Murray McCully retired in April, the Prime Minister, Bill English was left as the only supporter of McCully’s move.

Israel announced yesterday that after some weeks of secret diplomacy it would restore its Ambassador to Wellington after he was withdrawn as a protest against New Zealand’s Security Council move.

An Embassy statement said: “Following discreet high-level bilateral discussions had been held over a period of several months by the Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yuval Rotem and MFA Deputy Director-General, Head of the Division for Asia and the Pacific Mark Sofer Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the telephone several days ago with New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English. ““Following the discussions, PM English dispatched a letter to PM Netanyahu, in which he stated: ‘First and most importantly, as I said in our conversation, I regret the damage done to relations between New Zealand and Israel as a result of New Zealand’s co-sponsorship of UNSC resolution 2334.’

“We welcome the return of Israel’s ambassador to Wellington,” the statement said.The resolution essentially declared that Israel’s settlements on the occupied territories breached the 1947 Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in war.

The effect of that was to make Israel leaders liable for prosecution at the International Criminal Court.Though then-Foreign Minister Murray McCully explained that the resolution was consistent with previous New Zealand votes at the UN on Israel, POLITIK has learned that over the summer break opposition to the move grew both within the National Party as a whole and particularly within the Cabinet.

Members of the Jewish community in Auckland, many of whom are National Party supporters, lobbied MPs. Some threatened to resign; some threatened to withdraw financial support.

By the time he retired at the end of April, McCully was apparently isolated within the Cabinet with support from only the Prime Minister, Bill English.

Attorney General Chris Finlayson is said to have been particularly incensed by McCully’s move.

Privately McCully has told friends of the opposition from within the party that he faced over the resolution.

Within 48 hours of McCully’s resignation his successor, Gerry Brownlee, told RNZ that the UN resolution was “premature”.And he wrote to Netanyahu suggesting the two countries find ways to revive the relationship.

That appears to have led to the talks between Israeli diplomat Yuval Rotem and MFAT official, Mark Sofer which have now resulted in the return of the Ambassador.

But Brownlee had to endure a humiliating public putdown from English over his RNZ interview.

In a May 8 press conference, English said: “We’re not describing it (the resolution) as premature,” he said.

“Our role in the resolution was that it expressed Government policy.“The resolution was expressing long-standing Government policy – in fact, a long-standing commonly held international view.”

English said that Brownlee had been trying to find the right language.He said Brownlee was getting familiar with the language the Government had been using about the relationship. “In this world of diplomacy, each word matters,” he said.

That raised the eyebrows of other Cabinet Ministers who were not used to seeing Ministers being treated in public like this by the Prime Minister.

But Brownlee appears unperturbed by the Prime Minister’s comments. The pair are currently on a Pacific tour together.

However, it is clear that he is determined to stamp his own mark on the Foreign Affairs portfolio.

Another move he has made which has attracted attention has been his overtures to Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.

That was marked by Brownlee presenting Bainimarama (a rugby fan) with a Crusaders’ jersey.

And despite some resistance from the NZ Defence Force Brownlee persuaded them to send the inshore patrol vessel, HMNZS Hawea to Fiji in late April to help patrol its territorial water and Exclusive Economic Zone over the next six months.

Its deployment marked the first time that a New Zealand Navy Inshore Patrol Vessel has been deployed to the South Pacific.Personnel from Fiji’s Ministry of Fisheries and Forest, Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority and the Republic of Fiji Navy, as well as New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries, are taking part in the patrols.

The Israeli move is something of a victory for Brownlee and he was getting congratulatory texts and messages yesterday on it. In many ways it marks the end of the McCully era in foreign policy and the beginning of the Brownlee era.

Source: Standoff that divided Cabinet ends | Politik

The Prime Minister won’t release his apology letter that led to diplomatic relations with Israel being restored.

Labour says its worried Bill English was bullied into saying sorry.

Greens say National doesn’t know what they think.

Israel’s ambassador to New Zealand is returning to his post, ending a six-month rift in relations over a United Nations resolution against Israeli settlements on occupied territory which Palestinians seek for a state.

Israel recalled its ambassador Itzhak Gerberg in December after New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal sponsored a UN Security Council resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement activity .

Prime Minister Bill English sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the two leaders spoke on the phone earlier this week, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Michal Maayan said in a statement on Tuesday.

“I regret the damage done to Israel-New Zealand relations as a result of New Zealand proposing Resolution 2344 at the Security Council,” English wrote, according to the Foreign Ministry statement on Tuesday.

Source: Israel, New Zealand restore ties after settlements row – NZ Herald

A huge banner depicting Theresa May wearing the Star of David as earrings has been slammed as anti-Semitic.

Hung on the railings of the Bear Pit facing Stokes Croft, the banner was put up around 9.30am on Tuesday, June 6.

But a Jewish woman, who did not want to be named, told the Bristol Post she had challenged the men who were putting up the banner.

She said: “It’s huge, the size of a bus.“I know it’s a political banner, and I know it’s anti-Theresa May, but why include the Star of David?

Read more: Bear Pit banner showing Theresa May wearing Star of David earrings slammed as anti-Semitic – Bristol Post

“Wonder Woman” has drawn all kinds of controversy over gender politics since its release last Friday, but it has also put the spotlight on Jewish debates over race and nationality.

The star of the film, Gal Gadot, who speaks English with an Israeli accent, has become an Israeli star and generated buzz both here and abroad.

Read more: How the Jewish identity of ‘Wonder Woman’s’ star is causing a stir – The Washington Post

It’s not everyday you meet someone whose job title is Nazi hunter.

But former Matamata woman Saskia van Waaijenburg had the opportunity as part of a scholarship to visit Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel.

With Prof. Daniel Gold, Yehudit Kleinman and Rena Quint.  Prof. Gold has travelled to NZ to tell his story to high school students.

The Massey High School history teacher and assistant principal, whose family still live in Matamata, says the scholarship has forever changed her life.

With Eva Lavi, who travelled to NZ to tell her story to high school students.

Read more: Yad Vashem scholarship provides life-changing experience | Stuff.co.nz

NZ Friends of Israel counts it a privilege and an honour to be one of the financial sponsors of this worthy project.