LONDON—British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn announced that he will immediately recognize a Palestinian state if he is elected Prime Minister.
He made the announcement in his keynote speech to the party’s annual conference in Liverpool.
“In order to help make the two-state settlement a reality we will recognize a Palestinian state as soon as we take office,” Corbyn said.
Dozens of Palestinian flags were distributed to the audience during the conference, while attendees shouted pro-Palestinian slogans such “Free Palestine” and speakers relentlessly slammed the State of Israel. The Labour leadership itself approved the flag-waving.
The Labour Party also voted a motion supporting an international investigation of Israeli action on the Gaza border and to halt British arms exports to Israel.
“The conference urges an independent, international investigation into Israel’s use of force against Palestinian demonstrators; a freeze of UK Government arms sales to Israel; and an immediate unconditional end to the illegal blockade and closure of Gaza,” the motion read.
More than 188,000 people voted to debate Palestine at party conference, thousands more than for traditional Labour concerns such as the National Health Service, the welfare system, or Brexit.
The conference condemned the US decision to cut funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), describing the move as an “aggressive attempt to rewrite history, and erase the victims of the 1948 war, who were expelled or fled from their homes in Palestine”.
Conference members urged the British government to increase aid to UNRWA and to encourage other member states to do the same.
In his speech, Corbyn also referred to the anti-Semitism scandals dogging him and his party in recent months, saying: “Ours is the party of equality for all — the party that has pioneered every progressive initiative to root out racism from our society.”
But, he said, “being anti-racist means we must listen to those communities suffering discrimination and abuse.”
“The Jewish people have suffered a long and terrible history of persecution and genocide. I was humbled to see a memorial to that suffering two years ago, when I visited the former Nazi concentration camp at Terezin. The row over anti-Semitism has caused immense hurt and anxiety in the Jewish community and great dismay in the Labour Party. But I hope we can work together to draw a line under it,” Corbyn added.
He issued a promise to Britain’s Jews: “I say this to all in the Jewish community: This party, this movement, will always be implacable campaigners against anti-Semitism and racism in all its forms. We are your ally.
“And the next Labour government,” he vowed, “will guarantee whatever support necessary to ensure the security of Jewish community centers and places of worship, as we will for any other community experiencing hateful behavior and physical attacks. We will work with Jewish communities to eradicate anti-Semitism, both from our party and wider society. And with your help I will fight for that with every breath I possess.”
But despite his statements, Corbyn himself was once again caught palling around in disreputable company when he was photographed outside the Labour conference with Israeli anti-Zionist activist Miko Peled, who has called for the destruction of Israel, said “Jews have a reputation for being sleazy thieves,” and defended Holocaust denial, saying, “The label ‘Holocaust denier’ is too often thrown at people who present perspectives of the Holocaust that disagree with those who would have a monopoly on the discourse, i.e. the Zionist establishment.”
The crisis over anti-Semitism in the Labour Party has caused a major schism within its ranks and led Jews to express fears over their future in the country.
According to a recent poll conducted by The Jewish Chronicle, almost 40 percent of British Jews would “seriously consider emigrating” if Corbyn became Prime Minister.
Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said Corbyn’s words mean nothing until Labour takes the necessary steps to deal with antisemitism in its ranks”.
“Words have long ceased to be enough. Actions are what matter,” she said, adding the party had to kick out antisemites, discipline those deny Jew-hate is a problem “particularly if this emanates from parliamentarians, local councillors or trade union leaders” and provide training on antisemitism “delivered by a trusted and reputable partner”
She added Mr Corbyn should give “a heartfelt apology to British Jews and to Israeli victims of the terrorists with whom he has shown solidarity”.
“Labour cannot ‘draw a line under’ this crisis and regain any shred of confidence from the Jewish community until this takes place,” she added.