He also said Israel is distorting racism in Europe in order to falsely show Jews suffer more than others from discrimination.
Livingstone made the remarks this week to the Board of Deputies of British Jews just two weeks after he refused to apologize for a comment that compared a news reporter to a guard in a German death camp.
"The [Israeli] government continues seizures of Palestinian land for settlements, military incursions into surrounding countries and denial of the right" of return of Arabs expelled for terrorism, according to the mayor, quoted in London's respected Guardian newspaper. He added, "Ariel Sharon, Israel's prime minister is a war criminal, guilty of who should be in prison, not in office." The Livingstone accused Sharon of "ethnic cleansing" in using "systematic violence and terror" to drive out "Palestinians who had lived in that land for centuries."
The mayor defended his remarks by charging that Israel fuels anger and violence in the world. "For a mayor of London not to speak out against such injustice would ignore the threat it poses to the security of all Londoners."
Livingstone already is the brunt of criticism from many British Jewish leaders for his refusal to retract a denigrating remark he made to a Jewish reporter last month. In a brief conversation between the two, the mayor asked the reporter if he had been a German war criminal. The reporter responded that he was Jewish and was offended by the question. The mayor retorted, "Arr right [sic], well you might be, but actually you are just like a concentration camp guard. You are just doing it because you are paid, aren't you?"
After a round of criticism from Jews and non-Jews, Livingstone two weeks ago said he did not mean any harm and would not apologize.
Zvi Heifetz, Israel ambassador to Britain, demanded an apology from the mayor's for insulting "the memories of all those Jews who survived the concentration camps [and] the thousands of British troops who died fighting the Nazis."
Livingstone added fuel to the fire this week when he stated that "the great bulk of the racist attacks in Europe today are on black people, Asians and Muslims." He accused Israel of presenting a distorted picture to "convey the impression that Jews suffer most discrimination."
Figures released last month showed that Manchester Jews suffered more than 400 anti-Semitic attacks last year and that anti-Semitic abuse in the country rose 42 per cent.
Winston Churchill, one of England's greatest leaders, also wouldn't have agreed with Mayor Livingstone. Churchill noted in 1939 that Arabs poured into the Land of Israel in the wake of Jewish settlement there: "Far from being persecuted, the Arabs have crowded into the country and multiplied until their population has increased more than even all world Jewry could lift up the Jewish population."
Backing up this claim are remarks by Arab leaders, including an official regional Syrian governor who said in 1934, "In the last few months, from 30,000 to 60,000 Hauranese [Syrian] had entered Palestine and settled there."
The quotes are cited by Joan Peters in her work From Time Immemorial, p. 230.
London's Board of Deputies member Henry Grunwald, replying to Mayor Livingstone's latest broadside on Israel, said that the mayor "has let us down" and must apologize. The Board has called on the Standards Board of England to investigate whether the mayor violated the country's moral code.
Livingstone made the remarks this week to the Board of Deputies of British Jews just two weeks after he refused to apologize for a comment that compared a news reporter to a guard in a German death camp.
"The [Israeli] government continues seizures of Palestinian land for settlements, military incursions into surrounding countries and denial of the right" of return of Arabs expelled for terrorism, according to the mayor, quoted in London's respected Guardian newspaper. He added, "Ariel Sharon, Israel's prime minister is a war criminal, guilty of who should be in prison, not in office." The Livingstone accused Sharon of "ethnic cleansing" in using "systematic violence and terror" to drive out "Palestinians who had lived in that land for centuries."
The mayor defended his remarks by charging that Israel fuels anger and violence in the world. "For a mayor of London not to speak out against such injustice would ignore the threat it poses to the security of all Londoners."
Livingstone already is the brunt of criticism from many British Jewish leaders for his refusal to retract a denigrating remark he made to a Jewish reporter last month. In a brief conversation between the two, the mayor asked the reporter if he had been a German war criminal. The reporter responded that he was Jewish and was offended by the question. The mayor retorted, "Arr right [sic], well you might be, but actually you are just like a concentration camp guard. You are just doing it because you are paid, aren't you?"
After a round of criticism from Jews and non-Jews, Livingstone two weeks ago said he did not mean any harm and would not apologize.
Zvi Heifetz, Israel ambassador to Britain, demanded an apology from the mayor's for insulting "the memories of all those Jews who survived the concentration camps [and] the thousands of British troops who died fighting the Nazis."
Livingstone added fuel to the fire this week when he stated that "the great bulk of the racist attacks in Europe today are on black people, Asians and Muslims." He accused Israel of presenting a distorted picture to "convey the impression that Jews suffer most discrimination."
Figures released last month showed that Manchester Jews suffered more than 400 anti-Semitic attacks last year and that anti-Semitic abuse in the country rose 42 per cent.
Winston Churchill, one of England's greatest leaders, also wouldn't have agreed with Mayor Livingstone. Churchill noted in 1939 that Arabs poured into the Land of Israel in the wake of Jewish settlement there: "Far from being persecuted, the Arabs have crowded into the country and multiplied until their population has increased more than even all world Jewry could lift up the Jewish population."
Backing up this claim are remarks by Arab leaders, including an official regional Syrian governor who said in 1934, "In the last few months, from 30,000 to 60,000 Hauranese [Syrian] had entered Palestine and settled there."
The quotes are cited by Joan Peters in her work From Time Immemorial, p. 230.
London's Board of Deputies member Henry Grunwald, replying to Mayor Livingstone's latest broadside on Israel, said that the mayor "has let us down" and must apologize. The Board has called on the Standards Board of England to investigate whether the mayor violated the country's moral code.