Corbyn's local Labour Party to debate rejecting IHRA antisemitism meaning
The motion calls to debate rejecting the IHRA definition of antisemitism as well as the Board of Deputies' "Ten Pledges."
By AARON REICHBritain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn reacts at a launch event for the Labour party's general election campaign in London, Britain October 31, 2019. (photo credit: REUTERS/HENRY NICHOLLS)
The local Labour Party of Islington North, led by Jeremy Corbyn, will debate calling to reject the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, the Jewish Chroniclereported Monday.The debate is slated for Wednesday, during the meeting of Islnington North's Junction Ward branch.According to the Jewish Chronicle's report, the motion slams the numerous “expulsions of many good socialist comrades” over allegations of antisemitism. These expulsions, the motion claims, were “deeply unjust.”The motion further states the "Ten Pledges" made by the Board of Deputies, the leading Jewish umbrella organization in the UK, “deliberately conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism.”The Ten Pledges were made as a means to help the Labour Party win back support from the Jewish community, after numerous allegations surfaced of antisemitic beliefs among members of the party under Corbyn's tenure as leader, as well as an internal culture of antisemitism.The motion further aims to call upon the Labour Party nationwide to follow in its steps in rejecting the IHRA definition of antisemitism and the Ten Pledges.“Islington North CLP to call upon the Labour Party nationally to repudiate the IHRA misdefinition of antisemitism, along with its so-called examples, and also repudiates acceptance of the Board of Deputies `Ten Pledges,’" the motion – called for by Michael Ellman, a supporter of the pro-Corbyn group Jewish Voice for Labour – stated, according to the Jewish Chronicle.“These deliberately conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism, in effect, defining support for the rights and safety of Palestinians in Israel and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign with antisemitism.“We consider that expulsions, suspensions and investigations of many good socialist, anti-racist comrades, nationally on grounds of supposed ‘antisemitism’ are deeply unjust and unjustified.“We are deeply committed to opposing all forms of racism, including antisemitism. We are also deeply committed to opposing what we regard as false accusations of antisemitism.”
A second motion was proposed for debate, which calls on Labour to instruct new leader Sir Keir Starmer pressure Israel over its planned annexation of parts of the West Bank, with the motion stating it could even go so far as sanctioning the Jewish state, "if necessary," the Jewish Chronicle reported.Corbyn has been the parliamentarian representing Islington North since 1983. Over the years, he has worked his way up the Labour Party and eventually took up the leadership position in 2015. In that time, he presided over numerous antisemitism scandals.According to the BBC, Corbyn's leadership was cited as a major reason why many voters who previously voted Labour instead voted for the Conservative Party led by incumbent Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the 2019 UK general elections.
