Nick Clegg, photo via wikipedia.org

Israel relieved at Nick Clegg’s flop in UK elections

While it remains unclear who will head Britain's next government and how its ties with Israel will unfold, Israel’s diplomatic mission in London "breathed a sigh of relief" on Friday when it emerged that the most anti-Israel party leader -- Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats -- fared more poorly than expected in Thursday's ultra-close UK general elections, according to the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), reports Michael Ireland, chief correspondent, ASSIST News Service.

ICEJ reports the Lib Dems failed to capitalize on a surge in pre-election opinion polls, which had been fueled by Clegg’s stellar performance in a series of televised debates, the first in Britain's election history.

With nearly all the votes counted, the 'Lib Dems' are projected to have 58 out of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, lagging far behind the Conservatives with 296 and the incumbent Labour party with 252.

ICEJ says that despite Clegg’s claims of support for Israel, both Israel's foreign ministry and Britain's Jewish community continue to harbor suspicions over his party, whose members have called for sanctions against Israel and dialogue with Hamas.

According to ICEJ, Clegg refused to expel veteran MP Jenny Tonge from the party when she sympathized with suicide bombers and recently called for a probe into allegations Israel had stolen human organs during an earthquake rescue mission to Haiti.

ICEJ says that incumbent Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown has repeatedly boasted of his love for Israel from early childhood, instilled by his clergyman father. Meanwhile, Conservative party leader David Cameron has often expressed support for Israel and his faction has many stalwart friends of Israel.

Israel launches first Expo stand in Shanghai

Meanwhile, ICEJ reports that Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Seinitz and Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan cut a ribbon on Thursday at the launching of the Israeli stand at the 2010 World Expo, being held in Shanghai, China.

The theme of the exhibit is a “Better City-Better Life” program focused on urban living in the 21st century. This is the first Israeli stand to be inaugurated at the Expo and will be open until the end of October.

The Israeli stand features the nation’s cutting edge technological successes, history and culture -- drawing interest from both the media and Expo visitors. Around 3.5 million people are expected to visit the Israeli stand by October.

‘Menorah’ gene may repair nervous system

On the medical front, ICEJ says that a team of Israeli and American researchers have discovered a gene that affects the formation and maintenance of menorah-shaped neurons, which combine with neurological cells to make up the central nervous system.

Working with the popular research organism C. elegans, a transparent roundworm, the scientists observed that when one branch of the gene’s menorah tree was moved in the “wrong direction,” the worm would “correct it” by pulling it back.

The scientists observed that when a membrane protein, which acts in two neurons required for reception of strong mechanical stimuli, was missing the worm showed disorganized menorahs with many more branches.

Discovery of such genes is important because they can eventually help locate the genes responsible for building neurons in the human brain and spinal cord, leading to medical treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and repair of damaged vial nerves.

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TAGS: United Kingdom International Christian Embassy Jerusalem UK elections anti-Israel Gordon Brown

[05/11/2010]

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