Corbyn sparks walk-out after comparing Israel to ISIS in a speech about anti-Semitism
Report into anti-Semitism in the Labour Party found there was clear evidence of ignorant attitudes
JEREMY Corbyn sparked outrage yesterday as he unveiled a report on tackling anti-Semitism in his crisis-hit party by appearing to compare Israel to IS terrorists.
The embattled leader was reported to Labour’s standards watchdog as Jewish groups united in condemnation at his “offensive” comments.
And Jewish Labour MP Ruth Smeeth stormed out and joined calls for him to resign saying he “stood by and did absolutely nothing” while she was verbally abused by a ranting activist with Momentum, a group that supports Mr Corbyn.
The extraordinary scenes came as a two-month probe found anti-Semitism in the party “has not been taken seriously enough” for years.
The inquiry by respected human rights lawyer Shami Chakrabarti was meant to draw a line under controversies sparked by Ken Livingstone’s comments about Hitler and social media posts by MP Naz Shah calling for Israeli Jews to be sent to America.
But instead it was slammed as a “whitewash” — and Mr Corbyn linked the actions of democratic Israel with jihadi groups and brutal Islamist regimes.
At a press conference in central London, he referred to Israel’s hardline PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
He said: “Our Jewish friends are no more responsible for the actions of Israel or the Netanyahu government than our Muslim friends are for those of various self-styled Islamic states or organisations.”
Asked if he was comparing Israel to IS, he replied “of course not”.
But he went on: “The point in the report is you shouldn’t say to somebody just because they are Jewish you must have an opinion on Israel any more than you would say to anyone who is a Muslim you must have an opinion on any vile actions that have been taken by misquoting the good name of Islam in what they do.”
Aides later said the “organisations” Mr Corbyn was referring to included IS and al-Qaeda, as well as Hamas and Hezbollah, who Mr Corbyn has previously referred to as “friends”.
Last night UK chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said: “The comments by the leader of the Labour Party, however they were intended, are themselves offensive, and rather than rebuilding trust among the Jewish community are likely to cause even greater concern.”
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Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, branded the comments “completely unacceptable”. And leading Jewish Tory MP Mike Freer said: “To contrast the democratic state of Israel with IS is a further example of the casual anti-Semitism within so much of the Labour movement.”
Issac Herzog, leader of the Israeli Labour party, raged: “Corbyn’s suggestion of moral equivalence between Israel and IS is outrageous, unacceptable, and a betrayal of global Labour values.”
Meanwhile, party supporter Richard Lowe reported Mr Corbyn to Labour’s compliance unit over the outburst, calling him “dangerous”.
A spokesman for Mr Corbyn insisted: “IS wasn’t mentioned. Jeremy was explicitly stating that people should not be accountable for the actions of states or organisations around the world on the basis of their religion or ethnicity.”
The report also ruled out lifetime bans despite a foreword by Ms Chakrabarti said there was “clear evidence” of “hateful or ignorant attitudes” and said Labour’s reputation was “on the table”.