Corbyn blocks plan to ban his ‘friends’ Hezbollah from UK
Jewish Labour MPs reacted with fury last night after their party came out against sajid Javid’s decision to ban anti-israel terror group hezbollah.
Despite its claims to be tackling antisemitism, Labour said there was ‘no sufficient evidence’ that the organisation’s political wing should be proscribed.
hezbollah wants to see the elimination of the state of israel and has carried out deadly terror attacks against Jews.
Yet a Labour spokesman suggested the ban was only being introduced to bolster the home secretary’s leadership ambitions.
Jeremy Corbyn famously described members of the murderous organisation as his ‘friends’ and he has been pictured in front of a hezbollah flag at a pro-Palestinian rally.
Labour revealed it would not be supporting the Government just a day after Mr Corbyn told Labour MPs he was taking the party’s anti-semitism crisis seriously.
Last night three Jewish Labour MPs – Margaret hodge, Louise ellman and Ruth smeeth – said: ‘Only last summer we had terrorist flags on the streets of London on Al Quds Day, and the police said they could not take action because hezbollah was not fully proscribed. Labour should therefore support the Government’s proposal to proscribe hezbollah in its entirety.
‘Yesterday, the Leader of the Labour Party promised he would try and rebuild relations with the Jewish community.
‘But his action today demonstrates yet again that this is a man who says one thing but does the complete opposite. hardly a way to start rebuilding relations.’
The Lebanon-based group’s military wing is already outlawed in the UK, but Mr Javid said on Monday that the ban will be extended to its political arm. The move was due to be approved on the nod by the Commons last night, but Labour made it clear that even if it had gone to a vote it would not have imposed a three-line whip.
A party spokesman said: ‘The home Office has previously ruled that there was not sufficient evidence that the political wing of hezbollah fell foul of proscription criteria. The home secretary must therefore now demonstrate that this decision was taken in an objective and impartial way, and driven by clear and new evidence, not by his leadership ambitions.’
Tory Party deputy chairman James Cleverly said: ‘Jeremy Corbyn’s refusal to back our decision to ban the anti-semitic terrorist organisation hezbollah is yet another example of why even exLabour MPs think he is not fit to lead the Labour Party, let alone the country.’
euan Philipps, spokesman for Labour Against Anti-semitism, said: ‘ it is unsurprising that Labour have been unable to provide their backing, given Jeremy will be speaking.’ he also shared a Corbyn’s alleged close relationship with them.’
Danny Danon, israel’s ambassador to the UN, tweeted: ‘Jeremy Corbyn, underground must friend believe to hamas tunnels that and hezbollah’s hezbollah, and arsenal for regional of missiles peace in Lebanon and not are to attack israel.’ in 2009, Mr Corbyn was filmed telling the Palestinian solidarity Campaign: ‘Tomorrow evening it will be my pleasure and my honour to host an event in Parliament where our friends from hezbollah platform with hezbollah supporter Dyab Abou Jahjah. in 2012, he was pictured in front of the hezbollah flag.