Newsroom

Prime Minister Gordon Brown addressing the Israeli Knesset

Text of interview given by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to the London-based Jewish News newspaper.

Jewish News: What is your government doing to help secure the release of Gilad Shalit and are you optimistic that he will be back home by next Rosh Hashanah to be with his family?

Gordon Brown: Gilad's family is going through something no family should ever have to. In the case of British citizens taken hostage abroad I have always been clear: hostage taking is never justified, whatever the cause, and it will not lead to concessions, whatever the cost. So I know how painful it is for a Government and a people to have someone from their country in captivity and my thoughts are with the people of Israel as they pray for his safe return. We have no contact with Hamas but are pressing all those who may have influence to secure Gilad's return. Ivan Lewis, the Minister for the Middle East, met Noam Shalit, Gilad's father, in Tel Aviv last month to demonstrate our ongoing support and to reiterate our pledge to do all in our power to help.

JN: Britain's ambassador in Lebanon recently met a senior Hezbollah figure. Does this not set a dangerous precedent and would your government ever consider talking to Hamas before it has agreed to the three conditions of the international community?

GB: There is no link between our decision to pursue limited engagement with Hezbollah and our approach to Hamas. The contexts are very different. We have no contact with Hamas and no plans to initiate any as long as Hamas fails to commit to work peacefully for a two-state solution. Until they accept the legitimacy of that solution, it is difficult to see how they can be part of achieving it, and we will focus our efforts on engaging those who genuinely want to see a permanent and just end to the conflict.

JN: Does Britain still plan to press ahead with plans to label goods from the West Bank, despite strong Israeli objections?

GB: The Government has been exploring the possibility of improving the clarity of labeling of produce from the West Bank because we know that many consumers wish to decide for themselves whether to buy products from the settlements. I am completely opposed to all boycotts of Israel, but I am in favour of consumers being able to make informed choices for themselves, and these exploratory conversations about a voluntary code are part of that. As a resolute friend of Israel, I was dismayed by Israel's recent decision to approve further settlement construction as settlements are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace.

JN: What would you say to those who call for boycotts of Israel, be they academic or otherwise?
GB: I am absolutely against any boycott of Israel because I cherish our relationship with the Israeli people. That is why I was so proud to be the first British Prime Minister to address the Knesset and was delighted to participate in various events to mark Israel's 60th anniversary. I do not believe that boycotts of Israel make any contribution towards achieving peace; they foster suspicion and animosity when it is precisely dialogue and cooperation which are called for.

JN: In light of figures showing that there were more anti-Semitic incidents in the first half of 2009 than in any previous full year since Community Security Trust records began, what further action does the government plan to take to tackle anti-Semitism?

GB: I deplore all forms of racism and was very proud to be the first head of Government to sign the London Declaration on combating anti-Semitism. The Government is committed to implementing the Declaration's recommendations and those of the All Party Inquiry into Anti-Semitism. We've already improved reporting and prosecution for internet hate and more than half of those excluded from Britain since 2005 have been peddlers of anti-Semitic views. Whether on campus, online or on the high street, anti-Semitism has absolutely no place in modern Britain and I am committed to working to help all of its victims have redress. Just this week the Hate Crime Action Plan sets out the 70 actions the Home Office and other departments will take in the short to medium term to tackle hate crime and support hate crime victims.

JN: Would you refuse to appear on a BBC Question Time panel which featured a BNP member? What is your reaction to the proposal to give Nick Griffin a platform on the programme and to the decision of a major Spanish newspaper to give David Irving a platform as part of its recent coverage of the 70th anniversary of the start of the war?

GB: The question of whether and when it is appropriate to share a platform with the BNP has been a highly-charged debate inside the Labour Party. So many of us joined our Party precisely to fight racism and fascism, and even though people have strong views on this on either side or the argument, everyone is totally united in how the approach the question: let's do whatever is most likely to stop the rise of the BNP. My own personal view is that if the BBC offer a slot to Nick Griffin, a Labour minister should be there to rebut his arguments head on.

JN: Why did you decide to commit British funds to help maintain Auschwitz and has your first visit to the camp in April affected you/your actions in the subsequent months?

GB: I wrote an article when I got back from Auschwitz to try to explain how I felt - but I don't think you can ever really find words that capture it. For somebody like me, born after the war but aware of the Holocaust, it is so hard to get your head around the fact that such things could happen here, in Europe. I committed funds to help maintain Auschwitz, just as I had to the Holocaust Educational Trust to support British students travelling there, because we must never, ever, ever forget. Earlier this year I was very moved to meet with Holocaust survivors who came to ask me to sign a book of remembrance to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. As we talked I vowed to myself that I'd make the visit this year, and my thoughts often return to what I saw there.

JN: Have the details been finalised for the new award for British heroes who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust and what will it mean to you personally to head the government that finally gives official British recognition to these heroes?

GB: Details of the awards are going to be announced in the coming weeks so I've been taking the chance to read again about the bravery of people like Jane Haining. The stories of these amazing people makes me so proud to be British and a formal recognition from the Government is the least these people deserve for their contribution to humankind. I have always loved that quote from the Talmud that he who saves a single life saves the entire world. These heroes showed that there could still be humanity amidst the horrors of the Holocaust and in doing so they saved our sense that the world has space for awesome courage alongside the darkness and barbarity