{"id":525924,"date":"2015-12-10T19:02:42","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T19:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.localterror.com\/israel-lobbyist-doubles-up-as-adviser-to-european-parliament\/"},"modified":"2015-12-10T19:02:42","modified_gmt":"2015-12-10T19:02:42","slug":"israel-lobbyist-doubles-up-as-adviser-to-european-parliament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewworldorder.org\/israel-lobbyist-doubles-up-as-adviser-to-european-parliament\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel lobbyist doubles up as adviser to European Parliament"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><div>\n<article class=\"node-15059 node node-blog view-mode-full node-is-page image-landscape\">\n<header class=\"node__header\"><span class=\"rdf-meta element-hidden\"><\/span><span class=\"rdf-meta element-hidden\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"node__submitted\">\n<span class=\"field field-author\"><a href=\"\/people\/david-cronin\">David Cronin<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"field field-blog\"><a href=\"\/blog\/lobby-watch\">Lobby Watch<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"field field-publication-date\"><span class=\"date-display-single\">10 December 2015<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/header>\n<figure id=\"file-32649\" class=\"file file-image file-image-jpeg media-element file-figure\"><!--[if IE 9]><video><![endif]--><!--[if IE 9]><\/video><![endif]--><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"media-element file-figure\" src=\"https:\/\/electronicintifada.net\/sites\/electronicintifada.net\/files\/styles\/original_800w\/public\/2015-12\/maxresdefault.jpg?itok=R-SFKfqD&amp%3Btimestamp=1449769480\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" \/><figcaption class=\"group-caption field-group-html-element\">\n<p>Nuno Wahnon Martins who has made a career out of promoting Israel in Brussels, seen in a still from a B\u2019nai B\u2019rith International <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=x4dLnxWhJoo\">video<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A pro-Israel lobbyist is playing a direct role in organizing some of the <a href=\"https:\/\/electronicintifada.net\/tags\/european-parliament\">European Parliament\u2019s<\/a> key activities on the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>Nuno Wahnon Martins, a representative of the <a href=\"https:\/\/electronicintifada.net\/tags\/european-jewish-congress\">European Jewish Congress<\/a>, describes himself as an adviser to <a href=\"https:\/\/electronicintifada.net\/tags\/fulvio-martusciello\">Fulvio Martusciello<\/a>, the Italian right-wing politician who chairs the Parliament\u2019s committee for relations with Israel.<\/p>\n<p>Since assuming that \u201ctitle\u201d in late 2014, Wahnon has been so prominent during the committee\u2019s meetings that he appears to be \u201crunning the show,\u201d a well-placed source told me on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n<p>His prominence raises fundamental issues\u00a0about the independence of the committee (or \u201cdelegation,\u201d as it is officially known).<\/p>\n<p>The European Jewish Congress routinely puts pressure on the EU to adopt positions favorable to Israel. Has it succeeded in parachuting one of its lobbyists into a post within one of the EU\u2019s most powerful institutions?<\/p>\n<p>When I emailed Wahnon with some questions, he offered to meet me. Over coffee, he said that he works as a freelance consultant for the European Jewish Congress, even though he is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eurojewcong.org\/about-us\/\">listed<\/a> as the organization\u2019s director of European affairs.<\/p>\n<p>Wahnon claimed he does not draw a salary for his work in the Parliament but that he has twice had expenses of around \u20ac100 reimbursed. He admitted that he is acting as an adviser without the approval of the Parliament\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n<p>The Parliament\u2019s rules have no provisions on the recruitment of advisers \u2014 as opposed to research assistants or secretarial staff \u2014 by its members. \u201cOfficially, these positions [advisers to committee chairpersons] do not exist,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2>Transparent?<\/h2>\n<p>He claimed that there is no conflict of interest\u00a0involved and that he has been open about his activities. A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nwahnon\">note<\/a> on his Twitter account, for example, states that he is an adviser to Martusciello.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would be much easier not to say anything,\u201d Wahnon added. \u201cBut it would be much less transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The parliament\u2019s delegation to Israel recently hosted a visit to Brussels for what it described as \u201cyoung political leaders, mainly from Israel and Palestine.\u201d On the program for that visit, Wahnon was named as an \u201cassistant\u201d to Martusciello.<\/p>\n<p>I asked the parliament\u2019s administration if it regards the hiring of a professional pro-Israel lobbyist by its delegation to Israel as a conflict of interest\u00a0and if it would investigate the matter. Marjory van den Broeke, a spokesperson for the administration replied: \u201cMr. Martusciello has no assistant on the payroll of the European Parliament called Nuno Wahnon Martins.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I then informed her that Wahnon\u2019s own Twitter account describes him as an adviser to Martusciello and inquired if the Parliament pays advisers to chairpersons of its committees. \u201cNo, it does not,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n<h2>Dismissive<\/h2>\n<p>Her dismissive attitude is symptomatic of a wider problem. The European Parliament overlooks how lobbyists with destructive agendas shape many of its policies and activities.<\/p>\n<p>In my book <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.plutobooks.com\/display.asp?K=9780745333328&st1=Cronin&sf1=kword_index%2Cpublisher&sort=sort_pluto&m=3&dc=5\">Corporate Europe<\/a><\/em>, I documented how members of the parliament signed and proposed amendments to financial sector regulations that were drafted for them by banks and hedge funds. As many of these amendments were approved by a parliamentary majority, the effect was that proposals supposedly intended to prevent an economic crisis of the type Europe is still enduring were altered by the gamblers who caused the crisis in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>A similar thing is happening with regard to the parliament\u2019s relations with Israel.<\/p>\n<p>Because of his position, Fulvio Martusciello commands respect from the Israeli elite. He uses the platforms afforded to him to express views that are at odds with both public opinion in Europe and, on occasion, with EU policy.<\/p>\n<p>According to <em>The Jerusalem Post<\/em>, he has <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Israel-News\/MPs-from-18-countries-call-on-governments-to-divest-from-companies-that-boycott-Israel-419684\">argued<\/a> that an EU decision that goods from <a href=\"https:\/\/electronicintifada.net\/tags\/israeli-settlements\">Israeli settlements<\/a> in the occupied West Bank be labeled as such amounts to \u201ccriminal discrimination\u201d against Israel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEurope is loud about Israel, but quiet about 200 other conflicts around the world,\u201d Martusciello has also <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Israel-News\/Politics-And-Diplomacy\/Member-of-European-Parliament-EU-labeling-policy-a-mistake-434394\">said<\/a>. The opposite is closer to the truth: last year the EU <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sipri.org\/databases\/embargoes\/eu_arms_embargoes\/Russia\">imposed<\/a> an arms embargo on <a href=\"https:\/\/electronicintifada.net\/tags\/russia\">Russia<\/a> but refused to even entertain the idea of halting its weapons trade with Israel.<\/p>\n<p>In a personal capacity, Martusciello should be free to say whatever he wishes. Yet he is not entitled to invite a pro-Israel lobbyist to effectively hijack part of a public institution.<\/p>\n<p>The European Jewish Congress is not the voice of Jews across this continent, despite how it may give that impression. Rather, it is a highly partisan lobby group. By habitually taking a pro-Israel stance, it does a disservice to the numerous Jews horrified by Israel\u2019s belligerence.<\/p>\n<p>Wahnon, a qualified attorney from Portugal, has made a career out of promoting Israel in <a href=\"https:\/\/electronicintifada.net\/tags\/brussels\">Brussels<\/a>. He has previously <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bnaibrith.org\/press-releases\/bnai-brith-welcomes-new-head-of-european-union-affairs\">worked<\/a> for two other pro-Israel groups, <a href=\"https:\/\/electronicintifada.net\/tags\/bnai-brith\">B\u2019nai B\u2019rith<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/electronicintifada.net\/tags\/european-friends-israel\">European Friends of Israel<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Wahnon confirmed to me that his access badge for the parliament\u2019s buildings categorizes him as an intern. This morning, I phoned Martusciello\u2019s office asking to speak to Martusciello himself. Instead, my call was transferred to Wahnon.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t believe that he just happened to be in that office. It is much more likely that the pro-Israel lobby is paying him to be there in an effort to buy influence.<\/p>\n<p>This is a squalid case of democracy being undermined by supporters of Israeli <a href=\"https:\/\/electronicintifada.net\/tags\/apartheid\">apartheid<\/a> \u2014 and of the powers that be not giving a damn.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"field-label field field-tag\">\n<i class=\"fa fa-tags\"><\/i> <span>Tags<\/span><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"field field-tag\">\n<li>\n<a href=\"\/tags\/european-parliament\">European Parliament<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"\/tags\/nuno-wahnon-martins\">Nuno Wahnon Martins<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"\/tags\/european-jewish-congress\">European Jewish Congress<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"\/tags\/fulvio-martusciello\">Fulvio Martusciello<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"\/tags\/marjory-van-den-broeke\">Marjory Van den Broeke<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"\/tags\/jerusalem-post\">The Jerusalem Post<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"\/tags\/portugal\">Portugal<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"\/tags\/russia\">Russia<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"\/tags\/israeli-settlements\">Israeli settlements<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"\/tags\/brussels\">Brussels<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"\/tags\/european-friends-israel\">European Friends of Israel<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"\/tags\/apartheid\">apartheid<\/a> <\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"\/tags\/bnai-brith-0\">B’nai B’rith<\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"links inline\">\n<li class=\"blog_usernames_blog first last\"><a href=\"\/blogs\/david-cronin\" title=\"Read David Cronin's latest blog entries.\">David Cronin’s blog<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"links inline\">\n<li class=\"ei_facebook first\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A\/\/electronicintifada.net\/blogs\/david-cronin\/israel-lobbyist-doubles-adviser-european-parliament\" class=\"popup\"><i class=\"fa fa-facebook-official fa-2x\"><\/i><span> Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"ei_google_plus\"><a href=\"https:\/\/plus.google.com\/share?url=https%3A\/\/electronicintifada.net\/blogs\/david-cronin\/israel-lobbyist-doubles-adviser-european-parliament\" class=\"popup\"><i class=\"fa fa-google-plus fa-2x\"><\/i><span> Google+<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"ei_twitter last\"><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Israel%20lobbyist%20doubles%20up%20as%20adviser%20to%20European%20Parliament%20&url=https%3A\/\/electronicintifada.net\/blogs\/david-cronin\/israel-lobbyist-doubles-adviser-european-parliament\" class=\"popup\"><i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-2x\"><\/i><span> Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"links inline donate\">\n<li class=\"donate-now first last\"><a href=\"https:\/\/npo.networkforgood.org\/Donate\/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=3728&code=node%2015059\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npo.networkforgood.org\/Core\/Images\/DonateNowButtons\/Small\/DarkRed.gif\" width=\"180\" height=\"60\" alt=\"Donate now\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section id=\"comments\" class=\"comments comment-wrapper\">\n<h2 class=\"comments__form-title title comment-form\"><i class=\"fa fa-comment\"><\/i> Add new comment<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p>Source Article from <a href=\"https:\/\/electronicintifada.net\/blogs\/david-cronin\/israel-lobbyist-doubles-adviser-european-parliament\">https:\/\/electronicintifada.net\/blogs\/david-cronin\/israel-lobbyist-doubles-adviser-european-parliament<\/a><\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p>Views: 0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>David Cronin Lobby Watch 10 December 2015 Nuno Wahnon Martins who has made a career out of promoting Israel in Brussels, seen in a still from a B\u2019nai B\u2019rith International video. A pro-Israel lobbyist is playing a direct role in organizing some of the European Parliament\u2019s key activities on the Middle East. Nuno Wahnon Martins, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":875,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1721],"tags":[32124,26938,10132,5052,14207],"class_list":["post-525924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world-news","tag-bears","tag-brunt","tag-crackdown","tag-hebron","tag-israels"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewworldorder.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewworldorder.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewworldorder.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewworldorder.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/875"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewworldorder.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=525924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewworldorder.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525924\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewworldorder.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=525924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewworldorder.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=525924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewworldorder.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=525924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}