Former British minister under investigation over comments on his party’s pro-Israel stance
Alan Duncan says colleagues who support Israel are 'exercising the interests of another country' | A former minister is being investigated by Britain’s Conservative Party after saying that some of its members are pro-Israel "extremists.” ● Alan Duncan, who served as a Foreign Office minister and an aid minister before stepping down as a member of parliament (MP) in 2019, has been placed under investigation over his comments during an interview with the LBC radio station earlier Thursday. ● In the interview, he said his party colleagues who support Israel are "exercising the interests of another country,” including Lord Stuart Polak, the honorary president of the Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI), and Lord Eric Pickles, who is chair of the group in the House of Lords. ● In a later interview with Times Radio, he said that other Conservative MPs and ministers including Michael Gove, Oliver Dowden, Suella Braverman, Robert Jenrick and Priti Patel were also extremists for not condemning illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land.
■ Sir Alan Duncan calls for Lord Polak, Lord Pickles and Tom Tugendhat to face repercussions over support of Israel