Jeremy Corbyn’s stance on antisemitism is a “real problem to address”, one of his own Labour MPs has admitted.
Wes Streeting said the new leader of the opposition must tackle concerns about his positions on Jew-hatred and Israel “head-on” in order to allay the Jewish community’s fears.
Mr Streeting felt forced to tell Jewish constituents that Mr Corbyn was not antisemitic, but added: “What he has done in the past is look the other way when sharing platforms with antisemites . He needs to explain why that is. He needs to be clear on it and on his views of a two-state solution. He needs to tackle it head on.”
The Ilford North MP held a special meeting with members of Redbridge’s Jewish community on Thursday to address their concerns.
Speaking after the London Jewish Forum event at Redbridge Jewish Community Centre, he admitted that the Labour leader’s stance “really worries me. He’s got a real problem to address”.
Mr Streeting said he had not yet had an opportunity to discuss his concerns directly with his party leader, but added that he expected to meet Mr Corbyn’s team in the coming weeks.
A long-standing supporter of Israel, Mr Streeting was “really disappointed” by Mr Corbyn’s address at the Labour Friends of Israel reception at the party’s conference last month.
Mr Corbyn was heckled after he failed to refer to Israel by name in his speech.
Mr Streeting said: “I was delighted when he accepted the invitation and I thought he was willing to engage and listen. It was a terrific opportunity. All he needed to say was ‘look, we have disagreements but my door is always open’.
“The room at LFI was never going to be ecstatic with Jeremy, but I think he inadvertently made things worse.”
Elected in May, the former National Union of Students president also repeated his opposition to boycotts of Israel and acknowledged concerns raised by the audience about the media’s reporting of the current wave of violence in the country.
● London Jewish Forum has appointed Joe Vinson as its director. As a NUS vice-president Mr Vinson worked closely with the Union of Jewish Students to tackle antisemitism on campuses, and later worked as an assistant to Mr Streeting.
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