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By

Uri Dromi

Analysis

Dear Mr Corbyn, please distribute these 10 Israel facts

May 5, 2016 11:26
Horror of '48: Jerusalem residents grasp their children as they flee an Arab bomb attack on Ben Yehuda Street, a Jewish area of the city, which left 51 dead
3 min read

As director of the Jerusalem Press Club, I have hosted quite a few Labour MPs, mostly on trips organised by Labour Friends of Israel. I felt privileged to speak to such informed and open-minded people who, while being fairly critical of some Israeli government policies (like many of us here), have a special bond with the Jewish state.

No wonder, then, that the recent antisemitic comments coming from Labour circles left me exasperated. Without wanting to stain Labour over some rotten apples, I would nevertheless be more reassured had Jeremy Corbyn disseminated among Labour members the following list of historical facts, and encouraged them to make up their minds about Israel based on facts, not on myths:

1: The Peel Commission of Inquiry in 1937 called for the partition of Palestine between Arabs and Jews. It said: "If it offers neither party all it wants, it offers each what it wants most, namely freedom and security." David Ben Gurion, the staunch Zionist, said yes. The Arabs said no, and instead intensified their bloody revolt.

2: Following UN resolution 181 in 1947, which reiterated the need to partition Palestine, my parents went down to the street, and danced and wept with joy. The Arabs responded with gunfire.

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