Shame on Channel Four...

They will be airing a show on the supposed "Israel lobby" in the UK tomorrow night...

The UK Jewish community is bracing itself for the screening of a television documentary that questions the work of community organizations and individuals, implying they are part of a "powerful" and "influential" pro-Israel lobby.

Set to be screened during prime time on Monday evening, Channel 4's Dispatches program will investigate "one of the most powerful and influential political lobbies in Britain, which is working in support of the interests of the State of Israel."

"Despite wielding great influence among the highest realms of British politics and media, little is known about the individuals and groups which collectively are known as the pro-Israel lobby," the program notes.

Labor MP Denis MacShane, who chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Semitism and is the author of Globalizing Hatred: the New Anti-Semitism, questioned the existence of such a lobby.

"If there is a Jewish/Israel lobby here, it is not very effective, as Israel is almost treated as a pariah state in the media and has few friends inpolitics," he told The Jerusalem Post.

"I assume that Dispatches, having done some tough stuff on Muslim hate preachers, wants to do a UK equivalent of the Walt and Mearsheimer book and prove there is a powerful Israel 'lobby' here. If they can find it, I hope they let me know."

The show's creators - an independent production company called Hardcash - have been accused by Jewish organizations of having a sinister agenda after they aggressively pursued certain community organizations, charities and individuals, including bursting through their doors.

What's more, Hardcash has been working on the program for over four months, but approached Jewish organizations only last week to respond to the allegations leveled against them.

One of the organizations targeted in the show is the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that works closely with the government and police to monitor anti-Semitism. The organization also provides security at Jewish events, but has no Israel remit.

"The program-makers waited until two weeks before transmission to contact the targets of their investigation," said Mark Gardner, CST's director of communications.

"Perhaps they believed their own publicity and feared that the incredibly powerful UK 'Israel Lobby' would get the program canceled.

"Alternatively, they were never interested in our opinions and have behaved as if they are investigating a criminal gang rather than various Jewish community-linked organizations," Gardner continued. "The latter explanation is far likelier, but it does not bode well for a fair and balanced program."