Jeremy Corbyn is a legitimizer of anti-Semites

Previous articles in the series can be read here.

The outbreak of anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism in the British Labour Party should be seen against the background of the attitudes and behavior of its current leader Jeremy Corbyn, as well as some of his appointments. This extreme leftist was elected as leader of the party with almost 60% of the votes in September 2015.[1] The climate created by his arrival at the head of Labour has encouraged anti-Israel and anti-Semitic members to voice a cacophony of hate slurs.

In the past, Corbyn contributed to anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism in Labour in various ways. He invited representatives of the terrorist organizations Hezbollah and Hamas to the British parliament, for example, calling them “my friends.” [2] His attitude toward Hamas, an organization which promotes genocide of the Jews[3], earned praise from an executive of the Palestinian terrorist group.[4] Although several senior social democrats, in Norway for instance,[5] have met with Hamas representatives, none of them expressed similar warmth toward the terrorists.[6]

Corbyn has spoken at fundraisers for the Interpal charity and appeared in one of its promotional videos. Interpal chairman Ibrahim Hewitt -- a man banned from travelling to the U.S, Canada and Australia and known for views such as recommending the stoning of adulterers -- is Corbyn’s “good friend.”[7] The Daily Mail reported that Interpal had donated money to a festival in Gaza where children were pretending to stab Israeli soldiers.[8]

As far as anti-Semitism is concerned Corbyn has a long standing relationship with Holocaust denier Paul Eisen, with whom he has met on several occasions. Eisen claims that Corbyn attended meetings of his extreme Remember Deir Yassin group for fifteen years, and contributed money to its cause.[9] The Jewish Chronicle raised seven questions relating to highly problematic issues from Corbyn’s past.[10] Eventually a spokesman issued an evasive and inconclusive response.[11]

None of this makes Corbyn a direct anti-Semite. He can much better be described as a legitimizer of terrorists and anti-Semites through his presence and words. Such acts will not appear in any definition of anti-Semitism. They are however typical for many fellow travelers of the anti-Jewish and anti-Israel hate mongers.

About twenty members have now been suspended by the Labour party. While the majority are Muslims, the most prominent hate monger to be suspended is Ken Livingstone, a native Englishman, former Mayor of London and a close associate of Corbyn. On Corbyn’s ascension to the party leadership, he appointed Livingstone to co-chair the Labour defense review.[12]

Not all slurs revealed in the past weeks date from Corbyn’s leadership. Yet the media spotlight on Labour’s anti-Semitism problems has also brought attention to earlier anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism expressed by elected functionaries and members of the party.

After he was elected as leader of Labour, Corbyn had to be somewhat more circumspect than during his stint as an MP in the margins of the party. So, for instance he included the pro-Israeli Jewish MP Luciana Berger in his shadow cabinet giving her the mental health portfolio.[13] During the Labour annual conference in September 2015 he also had to speak before the Labour Friends of Israel. He did so but did not mention Israel even once.[14]

Seamus Milne, one of Corbyn’s closest associates, has also expressed his hatred for Israel. This associate editor of the Guardian daily was appointed by the new party leader, shortly after his election, to the position of Labour’s Executive Director of Strategy and Communications.[15] In other words: he is Corbyn’s spin doctor. A video has been made public where Milne described the foundation of Israel as a crime. He also is a Hamas supporter and said "despite the horrific casualties Hamas is not broken and will not be broken, because of the spirit of resistance of the Palestinian people."[16]

Anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism turn out to serve as a useful prism through which the moral degeneration in yet another European social-democratic party may be viewed.
Corbyn has been reluctant to react to the claims of anti-Semitism in his party. He preferred to deny that the problem existed. In late April this year, in response to accusations of anti-Semitism within Labour party, Corbyn stated “No, there is not a problem. We are totally opposed to anti-Semitism in any form within the party. The very small number of cases that have been brought to our attention have been dealt with swiftly and immediately, and they will be."[17]

During Prime Minister Questions time on 4 May this year, David Cameron attacked Corbyn several times about his friendship with Hamas and Hezbollah. He referred to these terrorist organizations as Corbyn’s friends asking “are they your friends or not?” Cameron added in his attack on the Labour leader: “Because those organizations in their constitutions believe in persecuting and killing Jews, they are anti-Semitic organizations, they are racist organizations, he must stand up and say they are not his friends.”[18] Corbyn typically did not answer the question with a clear yes or no.

David Hirsh, a Jewish academic who has been fighting British anti-Semitism in the academic world for many years has methodically analyzed the attitudes of Corbyn and the Left he represents. He summarized the current Labour leader’s views as follows: “The Corbynist worldview is one which sees some authoritarian states, some terrorist movements and some kinds of anti-Semitism as being objectively on our side against imperialism, as being part of the global progressive movement. Sometimes there is an admission that the violence and the anti-Semitism of these ‘comrades’ are not quite in keeping with our own values; they are admittedly not pretty, but who are ‘we’ to lecture to the oppressed about values?”[19]

Anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism turn out to serve as a useful prism through which the moral degeneration in yet another European social-democratic party may be viewed. It is usually also an indicator of other major problems. Corbyn’s political views for example, endanger British defense policies and security. Given the current state of the Labour party, it is most likely that many additional problems will come to light beyond the already problematic permeation of Labour’s electoral representation by anti-Semites and whitewashers of hate mongering.