Board of Deputies of British Jews will not tolerate allegations of intolerance

Here's a remarkable report in the Jewish Chronicle. It appears that Board of Deputies officers walked out of a talk addressed by a Liberal Democrat lord because he criticised the intolerance of Israel's Likud led government:

Lord Wallace, the Liberal Democrats’ deputy leader in the Lords, has defended Baroness Tonge’s “over-emotional approach” to Palestinian rights in a wide-ranging address to the Board of Deputies on Sunday.

He explained that she has not been expelled from the party because “we do sadly find the current Likud Party very intolerant of all criticism”.

His remarks prompted a number of Deputies to walk out in protest.

Baroness Tonge was sacked as Lib Dem spokesman on health in February after suggesting Israel should set up an inquiry to refute allegations that its rescue teams in Haiti were trafficking organs from earthquake victims.

Lord Wallace, who is a LibDem spokesman on international affairs, told the Board: “She answered a deliberately provocative question from the Editor of the Jewish Chronicle… I think Jenny Tonge is over-emotional, mistaken.

"She did not say that body parts had been taken in Haiti…She was trapped by a question from the Jewish Chronicle which she should have known better than to answer.”

It's interesting that Lord William Wallace is wise to JC tactics but the walkout by the deputies, according to the JC, wasn't because of Jenny Tonge, it was because he criticised Likud. So now the BoD has gone from being the Board of Deputies of British Jews through the Board of Deputies of British zionists to the Board of Deputies of British Likudniks.

Maybe they walked out because they thought he was being unfair to Yisrael Beiteinu by not mentioning them. Perhaps he'll get a chance to mention them after the next Israeli elections or before the next British ones.