Cllr Imran Khan told the chamber he stood with Bradford’s Jewish population and while there was “concern to have the right to criticise and to have free speech” he insisted it was “up to Jewish people to decide what antisemitism is”.
Lib Dem councillor David Ward – who was sacked as the parliamentary candidate for Bradford East last year over comments on Israel and the Holocaust – led the opposition to adoption of the definition but only nine other councillors supported him.
Cllr Ward claimed the IHRA definition had “had its day” and accused supporters of the definition of “turning their backs on the Palestinians”.
A Board of Deputies spokesperson said: “That Bradford Metropolitan District Council has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition with all its examples is a very welcome move.
“While we would disagree with some of the unfair criticism of some Israeli government policies expressed in the debate, this served to prove that it is possible to criticise Israel whilst being resolutely opposed to antisemitism.”
Bradford has faced a string of scandals involving antisemitism over recent years. George Galloway quizzed by police over alleged racial incitement in 2014 after he declared the city an "Israel-free zone" when he was an MP in the city.
