‘Candidates to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader this week denounced his words as “anti-Semitic.”
Israel lobby groups the Jewish Labour Movement and Labour Friends of Israel held a joint event on Thursday night to grill the leadership contenders.
Rebecca Long-Bailey, the supposedly left-wing candidate to replace Corbyn, agreed it was “anti-Semitic” to “describe Israel, its policies, or the circumstances around its foundation as racist.”
Lisa Nandy, another candidate, agreed with even more enthusiasm.
In 1948, Israel expelled 800,000 Palestinians from Palestine.
In 2018, Corbyn stated that it should not be “regarded as anti-Semitic to describe Israel, its policies or the circumstances around its foundation as racist because of their discriminatory impact” on Palestinians.
He had been attempting unsuccessfully to make it Labour Party policy to protect people who make valid criticisms of Israel, or state historical facts, from allegations of anti-Semitism.
But on Thursday, to loud groans from the audience, Long-Bailey prevaricated that she couldn’t “remember the exact words” Corbyn had used after the moderator – TV journalist Robert Peston – revealed the words she had just agreed were anti-Semitic were in fact Corbyn’s.
Peston ranted that Corbyn’s words had been “a disgrace.”
Festival of reaction
Long-Bailey has touted herself as the left-wing successor to Corbyn.
But there are no signs of anything like the same grassroots enthusiasm for her as there was for Corbyn.
The event on Thursday night was a festival of reaction and ignorance.
All four candidates tried to outdo each other in touting their pro-Israel credentials, and competing about who would expel the most Labour Party members in an ongoing “anti-Semitism” witch hunt.’
Read more: Candidates to replace Corbyn denounce him as anti-Semitic
