The Lobby (TV series)

Production

Using undercover techniques, the film relied primarily on fly on the wall footage using 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.[4]

Themes

• The targeting of pro-Palestinian politicians: 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".[5][6][7][8]
• Supporting lobbying groups: Masot was also recorded setting up a pro-Israel youth organisation, which he intended to link to the existing Labour Friends of Israel.[9] He was also 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 MP's.[10]
• Allegations of antisemitism: 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".[11]

Consequences and responses

The Israeli ambassador, Mark Regev apologized to Alan Duncan for the comments made by Masot.[4] Masot was sent back to Israel and resigned, as did the civil servant involved.[9]

The Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry, called on the Commons foreign affairs committee to conduct an inquiry into what appeared to be improper interference in British politics by a foreign power.[9] The Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, wrote to the Prime Minister along the same lines.[12] Alex Salmond, the Scottish National Party’s foreign affairs spokesman, asked for a full investigation,[13] while Crispin Blunt questioned whether Israel's interests were best served by such methods.[5] However, Boris Johnson, then Foreign Secretary, rejected calls to take action against the Israeli embassy and said that he regarded the matter as closed.[14]

The National Union of Students said it was investigating alleged attempts to influence its 2016 leadership election, which saw its first black, Muslim, female president Malia Bouattia voted in.[15] Following claims that NUS members opposed to Bouattia held "secret meetings" with activists supported by the Israeli embassy, a spokesperson for the union said the organisation was looking into the allegations.[6]

The Labour Party declined to investigate complaints arising from the programme against Joan Ryan and the Jewish Labour Movement director.[16]

In October 2017, Ofcom rejected complaints that the series was antisemitic or had breached impartiality rules.[4]

Blocked screening and subsequent leak

On October 11, 2017, Al Jazeera announced that it had installed an undercover journalist inside several Washington–based pro-Israel organisations in 2016 and that it was planning to air a documentary film based on the reporter's work. Clayton Swisher, Al Jazeera's director of investigative reporting, also acknowledged that the network had stationed an undercover journalist in both the UK and US at the same time.[18][19][20]

On February 8, 2018, it was reported that Qatari leaders had reassured the leaders of Jewish American organisations that Al Jazeera would not be airing the US companion series. According to Haaretz, the Qatari government had reportedly hired Republican Senator Ted Cruz's former aide Nicolas Muzin to open communications channels with Jewish American organisations. Earlier, the network had sent letters to several American pro-Israel organisations informing them that their employees would appear in the documentary. These letters generated speculation that the Qatari government had reneged on its earlier promise to block Al Jazeera from screening the controversial documentary which, like the earlier British series, had utilized clandestine footage and recordings of pro-Israel activists.[21][22]

Al Jazeera's decision not to screen the documentary drew criticism from Clayton Swisher, who accused the network of capitulation to outside pressure. Swisher said that the practice of using undercover investigators "is used by many international broadcasters, including BBC and CNN, and is carefully managed, through multiple layers of legal and editorial review, to ensure it is performed consistently with local laws, industry regulations, and our own Code of Ethics". Swisher took a sabbatical from Al Jazeera due to the network's failure to respond to attacks on the project and the lack of transparency around the network's decision to delay the broadcast.[23] In March 2018, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers including Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer, Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin, and Ted Cruz penned a letter urging United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate whether Al Jazeera should register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. They also urged the Justice Department to investigate reports that the network had infiltrated non-profit organisations and accused Al Jazeera of broadcasting antisemitic, anti-Israel, and anti-American content.[24][25][26] On April 10, 2018, the Zionist Organization of America's president Morton Klein claimed credit for lobbying the Qatari government not to screen Al Jazeera's companion documentary series focusing on American pro-Israel lobby.[27]

In late August and early September 2018, leaked portions of the documentary series were aired by several outlets including The Electronic Intifada.[28][29] In early November, The Electronic Intifada released the four episodes of The Lobby—USA simultaneously with the French media outlet Orient XXI and the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar.[30] Al Jazeera issued a statement condemning its release.[31]