Israeli Arab MKs back Jeremy Corbyn over Labour antisemitism row

Benjamin Netanyahu has attacked the Labour leader for his handling of the antisemitism crisis saying he deserved “unequivocal condemnation”, while the Israeli Labour party cut ties with Mr Corbyn earlier this year.  

In the letter the Joint List, which is the Knesset’s third largest party with 13 members, said it agreed with the Labour party’s refusal to adopt all the examples in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism.

Labour has tried to claim its own code of conduct on antisemitism - which omits key example relating to criticism of Israel and has caused a huge standoff with its Jewish MPs and supporters - is more robust.

The Joint List said in its letter: “The British political class ignores the Palestinian historical plight, and attacks and abuses the British and European leader who vocally supports the Palestinian cause of peace and equality.

“With the Netanyahu government ramping up the racism, our struggle for survival is more precarious than ever. But while we focus locally, defending what’s left of our ever-diminishing rights, we feel that we must speak out now and register our repugnance at these recent attempts to complete our erasure, by forbidding within the UK Labour party any mention by name of the forces allayed against the Palestinian cause.”

The signatories of the letter, which includes deputy speaker Ahmad Tibi, added: “As long as efforts to curb anti-Jewish sentiment in the UK are focused on combating the disparagement of Jews merely for their membership in a minority group, they have our full support.

“But when some try to force the Labour party into using as its litmus test a definition of antisemitism that goes far beyond anti-Jewish animus to include anti-Zionism, we must raise our voices and decry these efforts.”