UK Labour Party rejects Israel lobby’s anti-Semitism definition

The UK Labour Party has adopted its own code of conduct which permits harsher criticism of Israel while also stating that "anti-Semitism is racism."

But the new Labour code does not fully adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition preferred by the Zionist lobby, which cracks down on those who question Israel’s so-called “right to exist,” or calls it “racist,” or who accuse Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel than to the interests of their own nations.

The pro-Palestinian Labour Party leader Corbyn, who is on course to become Britain’s next prime minister, says he doesn't want to stifle debate about Israel and Palestine within the party.

Corbyn has been dogged by accusations of being “soft on anti-Semitism” ever since he became Labour leader in 2015.

These accusations against Corbyn and his supporters, such as former London mayor Ken Livingstone, have mainly come from Labour Members of Parliament (MPs) who oppose left-wing politics and support Israel.

Anti-Zionist filmmaker Haim Bresheeth told Press TV that the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism is fundamentally flawed.

He said: “The IHRA definition has been accepted by most parties in Britain but it is a toxic code because it actually claims that to criticize Israel is anti-Semitic which is totally nonsensical. It is basically something that the Israeli lobby has put out as a way of silencing debate on Palestine."

One right-wing Labour MP, Margaret Hodge, accused Corbyn of being an anti-Semite during an angry confrontation on Tuesday.

She launched an angry tirade against Corbyn in Parliament, calling him an “anti-Semite” and “racist.” Corbyn reportedly told her: “I’m sorry you feel like that.”

A series of Labour MPs also publicly vented their fury.

Former leader Ed Miliband said the party should adopt the full definition.

He said: “The argument that it is somehow incompatible with criticizing the actions of the Israeli government is wrong. The views of the vast majority of the Jewish community are very clear. I would urge the Labour National Executive Council to get on with this at speed.”

PressTV-Most in UK Labour Party say Israel is 'force for bad’: Poll

Members of the UK’s Labour Party denounce Israel and express support for their pro-Palestinian party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, in a new poll.

Jewish community groups also condemned the new code and warned “on its current trajectory, Labour is failing British Jews and it is failing as an anti-racist party.”

In a joint statement, the Board of Deputies, Jewish Leadership Council and the Community Security Trust said: “The decision taken by the National Executive Committee (NEC) to adopt a watered-down definition of anti-Semitism will be regarded with a mixture of incredulity and outrage by the overwhelming majority of the UK’s Jews.”

But Haim Bresheeth said the Labour Party simply is not anti-Semitic.

He said: “This is where anti-Semitism really is - in Eastern Europe, in North America, in the Trump circles, it is not in the Labour Party, it has never been in the Labour Party. And Margaret Hodge as a Labour member should avoid doing the Tories job for them. Labour is leading by four per cent in the polls and this is why we are seeing what we are seeing. It is nothing to do with anti-Semitism, it is an organised campaign to stop supporting Palestine."

The latest opinion polls show that if a general election were held today, Labour would win it.

The ruling Conservatives are in a state of disarray over arguments about leaving the European Union and many analysts feel that Labour would be even further in the lead if he weren’t being undermined by his own MPs over issues such as anti-Semitism.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk