‘Let’s give Corbyn beneÓt o\ the doubt’
● Some communal leaders believe it is time to re-set relations with Labour leader
THE OUTCOME of the general election could open the door to a rapprochement between Jeremy Corbyn and the Jewish community, it has been claimed.
Leading Jewish figures in Westminster believe that the Labour leader’s unexpected successes in the campaign, which have cemented his control over the party, mean a new approach to dealing with him is needed.
One leader said now was the time to give Mr Corbyn “the benefit of the doubt” after almost two years of bitter disagreements over his failure to deal with Labour’s antisemitism crisis.
However, there was also a feeling that it is “business as usual” for the community, with Theresa May remaining as Prime Minister and senior ministers such as Boris Johnson and Amber Rudd continuing as Foreign and Home Secretary respectively.
The fact four north London constituencies
— Hendon, Finchley and Golders Green, Chipping Barnet and Harrow East — bucked the trend of Labour gains and were held by the Conservatives, might serve as a reality check for Mr Corbyn, some argued.
One Jewish source in Westminster described the results in those constituencies as a “Jewish firewall” which had been the difference between the Tories remaining in government and Mr Corbyn becoming prime minister. “There are four seats which denied Labour because of how they have treated the community. That must give them pause for thought,” the figure said. Mr Corbyn might “get a taste for victory” and promote “sensible centrists and credible friends of the community”, making it easier for Jewish groups to work with the party, one source said, adding: “It may be wishful thinking, but that’s the smart thing for him to do.”
Simon Johnson, Jewish Leadership Council chief executive, predicted that re-elected Labour MPs would pressure the party leadership more effectively after returning to Parliament with
increased majorities and with the threat of re-selection as candidates removed. “It’s a very good sign that a lot of the people who are friends of the community and Israel retained their seats,” he said.
Sadiq Khan, Labour’s Mayor of London, told the JC that his party must do “much, much more” and that he would use his influence to ensure that Jews felt their concerns were taken seriously.
Joan Ryan MP, chair of Labour Friends of Israel, called on Mr Corbyn to reconsider his links to groups such as the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. She said he could yet be an “honest broker” in the Middle East peace process as prime minister.
But there remains considerable scepticism about Mr Corbyn’s intentions. One Jewish Westminster source said the election outcome was “the worst of situations. The communal groups are utterly hamstrung. It’s a really precarious position. Corbyn understands what they think of him.”
One senior pro-Israel Labour figure said it was “naïve” to think Mr Corbyn would alter his stance. “The community has to decide what its strategy is,” the source said. “Now is not the time