Israel backers’ dialogue hope

JEREMY CORBYN has been invited to speak at Labour Friends of Israel’s reception at next week’s party conference in Brighton.

It is traditional for the party’s leader or spokesman on foreign affairs to address the event. Mr Corbyn has a long history of anti-Israel activism.

Hisofficehasyettorespondtotheinvitation. Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn is due to speak at the LFI event.

LFI chair Joan Ryan MP said the invitation was the start of a process of dialogue with the new leader. She has also requested a meeting with Mr Corbyn.

She said: “It would be wrong to turn away. There’s no reason to believe dialogue is not welcome. We have an open door and we will go through it with all our good and strong arguments.”

She admitted she did not know whetherMrCorbynwouldattendthereception.

Tuesday evening’s event will be preceded by a discussion, co-hosted with Bicom, on the possibility of a two-state solution to the conflict. Speakers are due to include MP Mike Gapes, defeated election candidate Sarah Sackman, and Knesset member Erel Margalit.

Ms Ryan said she was confident in LFI’s position and remained positive about its prospects.“We have people in the party who give strong support. Our deputy leader [Tom Watson] is vice-chair of Trade Union Friends of Israel, so that’s helpful.”

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign will hold a fringe event on Sunday with a panel discussion on helping Labour devise pro-Palestinian policies. Speakers are due to include anti-Israel backbench MPs Cat Smith and Grahame Morris.

On Monday, Mr Benn is expected to discuss Britain’s approach to Palestinian issues at another PSC event.

Meanwhile Mr Corbyn has revealed thathehasa“Jewishelement”inhisfamily. In an interview in the Church Times, he said his mother, Naomi, was a Biblereading agnostic while his father was a church-going Christian.

“Going back a lot further, there is a Jewish element in the family, probably from Germany,” the left-winger said.

He added that he was “not antireligious at all” and probably went to more religious services than most strong believers. “I go to churches, I go to mosques, I go to synagogues,” he said. “I think the faith community offers and does a great deal for people.”

Mr Corbyn has resigned as chair of the Stop the War Coalition, the hardline anti-Israel group.