WEBVTT

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We've all heard about the American Israel

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Public Affairs Committee, or APEC, the

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powerful pro-israel lobby group shaping

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US politics. But little is known about

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its main counterparts operating across

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the Atlantic in Europe and England that's

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quietly pulling strings in both the EU

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and British parliaments. So who's

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behind the group, what do they want and

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why are they operating under the radar?

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Meet El Net, Europe's most influential

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Israel lobby group. El Net, which stands

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for European Leadership Network, presents

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itself as an NGO promoting shared

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democratic values between Europe and

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Israel. But a closer look reveals an

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entirely different agenda. Founded in

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2007 with offices across Europe and

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England, El Net's purpose is to align

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European MP's with pro-israel narratives

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and to ensure that Tel Aviv's interests

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get a direct line into European

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decision-making. The man behind it?

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Ranan Elias, who first dealt with

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European affairs at AIPAC and later at

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the Israeli National Security Council.

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His words in 2008 were clear. If

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groups like ours had even 10% of the

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budget of US pro Israel lobbies, we

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could change European policies. And

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that's exactly what Elnat has been trying

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to do.

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But how is El Nat influencing European

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and British politicians?Simple

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direct engagement. El Nat cultivates

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personal ties with key figures and

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individual lawmakers. As a core tactic,

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it sends lawmakers on luxury, all

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expenses paid trips to Israel, framing

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them as educational experiences. In the

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first seven months after Tel Aviv

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launched its genocidal war on Palestine's

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Gaza on October 7th, 2023, Elnet

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arranged over 20 trips, sending nearly

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300 parliamentarians from both the

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EU and the UK to Israel. But these

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trips aren't just for show. They're

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designed to get MPs on board with

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Israel's narratives and to push Tel

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Aviv's agenda into related policies.

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Among the many attendees were UK

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politicians Andrew Percy. And Anthony

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Higginbotham, who declared that the

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troops were donations. Numerous UK Labour

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Party members also received money from

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Elnat amid Israel's ongoing war on Gaza.

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A 2024 report by Declassified

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UK revealed that nine Conservative

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MPs received funds from pro Israel

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groups, including Elnat, and key figures

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like John Woodcock, the Baron of Walney,

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joined Elnat's online briefings about Tel

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Aviv's atrocities in the Palestinian

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enclave. El Net's lobbying led to

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increased support among EU politicians

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for Israeli policies that had previously

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come under heavy criticism from some EU

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member states and neutralized opposition

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to Tel Aviv's actions in Palestine, such

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as those related to its illegal

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settlements or its brutal war on Gaza.

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El Net Israel CEO Emmanuel Navon says

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parliamentary delegations to Israel

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directly impact the level of support Tel

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Aviv receives from Western countries. In

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May 2024, he told supporters that El Net

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had influenced the European Parliament's

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resolution conditioning a Gaza

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ceasefire and the release of Israeli

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hostages and the defeat of Hamas.

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Now, this resolution would never have

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been passed without the many years of

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work done by El Net or those

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parliamentarians that have literally

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turned them around as pro Israeli as

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being pro Israel after visiting Israel.

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So the question now is, besides Israel,

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who else is funding El Net?

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Unsurprisingly, tracking the money leads

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us back across the Atlantic to the US. El

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Net's primary funding comes from private

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donations often linked to anti Muslim

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groups and prominent pro Israel and pro

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Republican billionaires. For years, El

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Net has copied the modus operandi of the

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US's Israeli lobbies. The group's US

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based fundraising arm called Friends of

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El Net or Fel Net. Is led by former

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Israeli diplomat David Siegel, who also

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overseas a majority of El Net's budget.

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Fel Net raised over $7,000,000 in

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2022, a million more than in

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2021. Other donors include Bernie Marcus,

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the co-founder of Home Depot, and

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billionaire Larry Meisel, as well as the

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Lisa and Michael Lafell Foundation linked

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to billionaire investor Michael Lafell.

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Funding also comes in from American

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billionaires tied to various

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transatlantic groups promote

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Islamophobia. And finance illegal Israeli

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settlements such as Miriam Adelson and

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Nina Rosenwald. Still, since

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Elnet's budgets and donors are only

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partially disclosed and information about

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the exact allocations of funds remains

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scarce, the influence of the group's

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undisclosed contributions on European

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policy making warrants further

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scrutiny.

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Elnet's lobbying also extends into. The

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tech, defense and business sectors. The

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lobby group uses its influence to secure

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lucrative trade deals with EU countries.

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These deals promote the use of Israeli

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defense and tech firms in sectors like

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cybersecurity, AI and Agritech.

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In 2017, Alnet successfully lobbied for

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the continuation of the European Israeli

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Association Agreement, which is a legal

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framework aimed at fostering political

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dialogue and Economic cooperation between

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Tel Aviv and the EU. These efforts help

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Israeli companies access EU funding and

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markets. So after peeling back a

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few layers of Elnet's vast

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operations across Europe, we have to ask

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who's really benefiting more from this

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lobby group, Europe citizens or Israel?