Now Corbyn says it isn’t anti-Semitic to call Israel racist
JereMY Corbyn was branded ‘contemptible’ last night after he argued it is not anti-Semitic to describe Israel as racist.
The Labour leader wanted his party’s ruling body to endorse a statement that it is not ‘anti-Semitic to describe Israel, its policies or the circumstances around its foundation as racist’.
Describing Israel as a ‘racist endeavour’ directly contravenes one of the key examples of the international definition of antiSemitism. At a combative meeting of the party’s ruling National executive Committee (NeC) yesterday, Mr Corbyn was forced to back down after it became clear he could not get his statement through.
Instead the NeC adopted the full definition of anti-Semitism as laid down by the International holocaust remembrance Alliance (IhrA), including all 11 examples it lists.
But it also endorsed a get-out clause to make it clear that adopting the full definition will not undermine ‘freedom of expression on Israel’. Last night the Labour Friends of Israel group said the caveat would provide a ‘safe space for anti-Semites’.
Its director, Jennifer Gerber, said: ‘It is contemptible but utterly unsurprising that Jeremy Corbyn prioritised and fought for the right of anti-Semites to describe the world’s only Jewish state as racist in a meeting supposedly about combating anti-Semitism.
‘It is now even more clear that Jeremy Corbyn is part of the problem not the solution.’
After months of heated debate, the NeC agreed that Labour’s code of conduct – used to decide whether members should be expelled for anti-Semitic comments – should adopt all of the IhrA’s 11 examples.
It emerged last night that Mr Corbyn urged the NeC to adopt all 11 definitions – but only alongside a statement he had drafted. It stated: ‘It cannot be considered racist to treat Israel like any other state or assess its conduct against the standards of international law.
‘Nor should it be regarded as anti-Semitic to describe Israel, its policies or the circumstances around its foundation as racist because of their discriminatory impact, or to support another settlement of the Israel-Palestine conflict.’
Instead, the NeC adopted a much shorter statement, saying the adoption of the full IhrA definition ‘does not in any way undermine the freedom of expression on Israel or the rights of Palestinians’.
Labour Against Anti-Semitism added: ‘The Labour Party says this issue is about free speech, but in reality, it appears to be about protecting the freedom of racists to present vile views which should have no place in any political party.
‘There can be no caveats, no conditions and no compromises with racism, and it is an ongoing disgrace that the Labour Party appears incapable of simply doing the right thing.
‘Until it does, this crisis will continue to destroy the fundamental integrity of the whole Labour movement.’
Last night a Labour Party spokesman said: ‘The NeC welcomed Jeremy Corbyn’s statement to the meeting about action against anti-Semitism, solidarity with the Jewish community and protection of Palestinian rights, as an important contribution to the consultation on Labour’s Code of Conduct.’
Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said the decision by the NeC to adopt the IhrA definition of anti-Semitism in full was ‘very long overdue’.
She added: ‘however, the adoption of the internationally recognised definition by itself, can only be the beginning. Action is what matters. We need to see firm action taken against anti-Semites and those who bring the party in to disrepute by denying the problem of antiSemitism. Labour must resolve the outstanding cases, introduce greater transparency to the disciplinary process, tackle the culture of the problem of anti-Semitism and introduce education and training. In addition Jeremy Corbyn needs to apologise for past anti-Semitic comments and affiliations.’
The candidate who won the most votes in Monday’s elections for Labour’s NeC has helped to mark Iran’s takeover by hardline Ayatollahs, MailOnline reported. Momentum activist Yasmine Dar has given speeches at an Islamist celebration of the 1979 Iranian revolution, which heralded widespread repression. At one event in Manchester in 2017, she said: ‘We are here for a celebration, a happy time.’