Israeli Embassy Employee Filmed Plotting to ‘Take down’ Pro-Palestinian UK Lawmakers

Rasa - An employee of the Israeli embassy in London was filmed by an undercover reporter discussing "taking down" British lawmakers who have been vocally critical of Israel, including Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan, UK media outlets said.

News ID: 426372

Date: 08 January 2017 - 21:50

RNA - The Israeli official, Shai Masot, is seen on camera speaking to Maria Strizzolo, a civil servant who was a former aide to a Conservative Minister, and another man identified as "Robin", whom Masot and Strizzolo believe to be working for an Israel lobby group but who is actually an undercover investigative reporter, i24 News reported.

According to the Guardian newspaper, Masot can reportedly be heard in the released footage discussing with Strizzolo ways to discredit various British MPs, including Duncan, who has been an outspoken supporter of a Palestinian state and vocal critic of Israeli settlements.

“Can I give you some MPs that I would suggest you would take down?” Masot asks Strizzolo, going on to name Duncan explicitly, saying he was causing "a lot of problems."

"You still want to go for it?" Strizzolo responds, adding: “I thought we had, you know, neutralized him just a little bit, no?” Masot replies: “No.”

According to a press release, Israel's Ambassador to the UK Mark Regev apologized to Duncan on Friday and made clear that “the embassy considered the remarks completely unacceptable,” adding that Masot "will be ending his term of employment with the embassy shortly."

The embassy stated that Masot was a junior employee, and not a diplomat, despite The Guardian saying he described himself as a "senior political officer" on his business card and as "the chief point of contact between the embassy and MPs and liaising with ministers and officials at the Foreign Office" on his LinkedIn profile.

"The Israeli ambassador has apologized and is clear these comments do not reflect the views of the Embassy or the Government of Israel. The U.K. has a strong relationship with Israel and we consider the matter closed," the British Foreign Office said in a statement.

Masot does not elaborate during the conversation on what he means when he says he wants to "take down" the politicians, but it is implied that he wishes to orchestrate their downfall possibly by publicly discrediting them, in what is considered a clear breach of diplomatic protocol.

Strizzolo suggests: “Well, you know, if you look hard enough, I’m sure that there is something that they’re trying to hide,” adding later, “A little scandal, maybe.”

The two discuss a "hit list" of MP's, among them, Crispin Blunt, chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, who has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

Masot reportedly calls Johnson "an idiot" while referring to Blunt as among lawmakers considered “strongly pro-Arab rather than pro-Israel."

Responding to the footage, Strizzolo sought to downplay the conversation as "light, tongue-in-cheek and gossipy."

"Shai Masot is someone I know purely socially and as a friend. He is not someone with whom I have ever worked or had any political dealings beyond chatting about politics, as millions of people do, in a social context," she told The Guardian.

The recordings are set to be used in a four-part documentary series to be broadcast by Al-Jazeera beginning January 15.

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