UK election: Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn ‘a threat’ to Israel-Britain ties, minister says
- Deputy Israeli foreign minister says British Jewry are ‘very worried’ about the possible rise of the party under Corbyn
- Corbyn, who called for recognising a Palestinian state, has been buffeted by allegations of anti-Semitism in Labour
“This (election) very much troubles us,” Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely told Ynet TV. “It is true that we as a country cannot say we support this-or-that candidate, but Corbyn is a real danger to Israel-Britain relations, and I know British Jewry are very worried about this possibility.”
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Corbyn and Labour, Britain’s biggest opposition party, say they oppose anti-Semitism. They say the party is not institutionally anti-Semitic, that complaints relate to a small minority of members, and that the processes to deal with such allegations have now improved.
“It must be understood that the things that Corbyn says, and the wind blowing through Labour today, is a wind of anti-Semitism. And this is a very grave matter,” Hotovely said.
“Jews will always have a place in the State of Israel. In other words, they do not have to feel endangered. But it is important to understand that this election is really a fateful election, and we really have to wait patiently here.”