UK: Jewish press claim a Corbyn gov't threat to Jews

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) – A trio of U.K-based Jewish newspapers on Thursday claimed a Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn would pose an "existential threat" to Jews in the country.

A joint editorial published by The Jewish Chronicle, Jewish News, and Jewish Telegraph, appearing on the front pages of all three papers under the headline “United We Stand,” described the Labour Party as the “natural home” for Britain’s Jewish community but claimed the party has “seen its values and integrity eroded by Corbynite contempt for Jews and Israel”.

“The stain and shame of antisemitism has coursed through Her Majesty’s Opposition since Jeremy Corbyn became leader in 2015,” the editorial charged.

Accusing the party of becoming “institutionally racist,” the editorial underlined “the strong concerns raised in the Jewish community.”

“With the government in Brexit disarray, there is a clear and present danger that a man with a default blindness to the Jewish community’s fears, a man who has a problem seeing that hateful rhetoric aimed at Israel can easily step into antisemitism, could be our next prime minister,” it added.

Speaking to The Guardian, a Labour spokesperson rebuffed the claims, saying that a Labour government would pose “no threat of any kind whatsoever to Jewish people”.

He said: “We understand the strong concerns raised in the Jewish community and are seeking to engage with communal organizations to build trust and confidence in our party. We know there is a huge amount of work to do.”

Corbyn last week said he "will not tolerate anti-Semitism in any form anywhere in our society or in our party".

The latest row over alleged Labour anti-Semitism arose over the party’s refusal to accept the full text of the working definition of anti-Semitism produced by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

The Labour Party national executive committee objected to classifying as anti-Semitic claims “that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavour”.

The party expressed concern over creating a code of conduct that could be “used to deny Palestinians, including Palestinian citizens of Israel and their supporters, their rights and freedoms to describe the discrimination and injustices they face in the language they deem appropriate,” said The Guardian.