‘LOOK HARD ENOUGH AND I’M SURE THERE IS SOMETHING THEY’RE TRYING TO HIDE’

Edited transcript of meeting between Shai Masot (M), senior political officer, Israeli Embassy, London, Maria Strizzolo (S), leading pro-Israel Tory activist and an aide to Conservative Minister Robert Halfon, and an undercover reporter (R).

M: Can I give you names of MPs I suggest you take down?

S: If you look hard enough I’m sure there’s something they’re trying to hide.

M: Yeah. I have some MPs.

S: Let’s talk about it.

R: Yeah.

M: She knows which MPs I want to take down.

S: Yeah, it’s good to remind me.

M: The Deputy Foreign Minister [Duncan].

S: You still want to go for it?

M: ...He’s doing a lot of problems.

S: Really? M: Really. It sounds like a conspiracy.

S: I thought you had neutralised it a little bit?

M: No. Boris. He’s basically good. S: He’s solid on Israel. M: Yeah. He just doesn’t care. He is an idiot but has become Minister of Foreign Affairs without any responsibilities. If something real happened it won’t be his fault... it will be Alan Duncan. Duncan is impossible to rebuff... he has a lot of friends.

S: Years ago, Rob [Halfon] was asking questions in Parliament about terrorist salaries...

M: When he [Duncan] was a DFID minister?

S: Yeah. He [Duncan] told him [Halfon]: if you don’t stop this I’m going to destroy you and all of that s***. Rob told the Whips and they told him to calm down. So never say never.

M: Never say never, yeah but...

S: A little scandal maybe? Don’t tell anyone about this meeting.

M: Who would we tell? Masot and Strizzolo on ‘horrible anti-Israel’ Tory MPs.

M: Crispin Blunt [chairman of Commons Foreign Affairs committee]. Those are people you... S: ...On the hit list? Yeah! M. I don’t have any problems with them.

S: Some super pro-Arabist [Tory MPs]… I can’t stand [them], They’re horrible people - the two go together.

M: Yeah…