Key facts
- Jason Pearlman, former advisor to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, was involved in setting up Reform Friends of Israel (RFI).
- RFI funded trips for Reform UK figures to Israel, including to the occupied Golan Heights.
- The Israeli foreign affairs ministry funded the November trip for the Reform UK delegation.
- Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice defended the party against accusations of antisemitism related to pro-Israel influence.
- Pearlman stated RFI does not receive government funding.
- The petition author filed a complaint about the debate's characterization of the petition as antisemitic.
Jason Pearlman, who served as the international media advisor to Israeli President Isaac Herzog until December, was heavily involved in establishing Reform Friends of Israel (RFI), a group whose funding sources are undisclosed. Pearlman's involvement came to light amid a parliamentary debate concerning pro-Israel influence on British politics.
During the debate, Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice strongly rejected a petition calling for a public inquiry into pro-Israel influence, labeling it antisemitic. However, Tice himself visited Israel in September, a trip funded by RFI. In November, other key Reform figures, including then-chairman David Bull, visited Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, a trip funded by the Israeli foreign affairs ministry, according to Declassified UK.
Pearlman, who has since returned to live in Israel for personal reasons and is no longer involved with RFI, stated that the organization does not receive funds from any government. He confirmed that his work with RFI did not overlap with his role for the Israeli president's office. Pearlman also mentioned having dinner with Nigel Farage and key backers to discuss initial funding for RFI, suggesting that donors to Conservative Friends of Israel and Labour Friends of Israel might also fund RFI.
Pearlman has publicly defended Israel's actions in Gaza, asserting that Israel has not committed war crimes. Tice, on his visit to Israel, met with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and expressed skepticism about reports of a famine in Gaza, claiming his observations contradicted such narratives. The author of the petition, Andy Kalil, has lodged a formal complaint, arguing that characterizing the petition and its supporters as antisemitic was an attack on calls for transparency, and that the debate failed to address fundamental questions about lobbying and influence.