On Friday, Feb. 21, Jewish National Fund-USA hosted its annual “Stand with Israel” luncheon, this time featuring speaker Colonel Richard Kemp, a retired British Army officer and staunch defender of Israel who is considered one of the most respected voices in global security.
Kemp, who has 30 years of experience fighting terrorism, commanded British forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans and served as head of the international terrorism intelligence team at the British Prime Minister’s Office. His name once appeared on an al Qaeda kill list that was found in Syria. Today, he stands up for Israel whenever he can.
“I speak about Israel at the U.N., in the media, to national parliaments and political leaders and on university campuses because the truth needs to be heard to counter the deluge of lies, distortion and disinformation that forms a major part of the political warfare campaign against Israel and the West,” Kemp told The Journal. “I am well-positioned to do so because I have decades of military experience fighting the kind of conflict Israel is fighting today, and I have seen the IDF in action firsthand, including inside Gaza during this war.”
In his speech, the colonel spoke about how Israel is fighting a war on seven fronts, as well as an eighth front: the political warfare campaign against the Jewish state. He also focused on the exaggerated casualty numbers from the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, the use of human shields by Hamas and how Israel has provided Gazans with humanitarian aid.
“No country ever, that I know of, in a war has taken such steps to deliver humanitarian aid to its enemy population at the same time it’s fighting a war in the same place. This is unheard of,” Kemp told the audience of more than 200.
He shared his experience speaking in front of the U.N. and the blatant lies he’s come up against in his work. “Making a speech rejecting the repeated false allegations against Israel at the Human Rights Council is like shouting into a hurricane,” Kemp said. “In each emergency session I have spoken at over the years, there have been a small handful of speeches supporting Israel with the overwhelming majority, many dozens, condemning. For most of the ambassadors it is a pro forma exercise, with no regard for the truth. I have questioned some of them on what they said, and they have no facts to back up the allegations they are happy to throw out at the council.”
After one speech Kemp made, “the Palestinian Authority ambassador stood up and announced that I said what I said because the ‘Zionist Entity’ paid me $50,000. After another, a North African ambassador told me my soul would burn in hell for all eternity.”
The colonel advocates for Israel because he believes it’s what’s right. “This is not just Israel’s war — it is also a war against the West and its democratic values,” he said. “Anyone who is in a position to do so has a duty to stand up and expose the lies.”
Jewish National Fund-USA’s Director of Planned Giving, West Coast, Cynthia Hizami also spoke, showcasing Jewish National Fund-USA’s “Build Together” plan for Israel’s south and its “Reimagine” plan for Israel’s north. She also highlighted how they are meeting the ever-changing needs of Israelis living on, and currently evacuated from, the borders of Lebanon and Gaza.
Hizami said Kemp was chosen as the speaker because he is “a non-Jewish Zionist. His knowledge and expertise of the Middle East is vast and impressive. He inspires us all as he continues to bring attention to the founding and continued strength of the State of Israel and the impressive military acumen of the IDF. He is a true defender of democratic values across the globe.”
Jewish National Fund-USA holds the luncheon every year to bring together supporters of Israel and feel solidarity together, which is especially important during this difficult moment. “As demonstrated time and time again, even in the face of horrors, Jews everywhere are both resilient and hopeful,” Hizami said. “This luncheon gives all an opportunity to be able to gather together and celebrate our Zionism and our Jewish continuity.”
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