Hamas ‘salute’ Jeremy Corbyn for Nakba rally support
Chairman of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, Gideon Falter, said: ‘Clearly Hamas feels that when it comes to Jews, Jeremy Corbyn is a brother in arms.
By BENJY SINGERBritain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn acknowledges his audience prior to giving his keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, Britain, September 27, 2017.(photo credit: REUTERS)
Hamas, the militant Palestinian terror group, praised Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for his support of an anti-Israel rally last Sunday in central London, MailOnline reported."We have received with great respect and appreciation the solidarity message sent by the British Labor Party Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to the participants in the mass rally that took place in central London last Saturday in commemoration of the 71st anniversary of Nakba," the statement said.Corbyn's message was read out at the rally, organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which anti-racist campaigners deem to be antisemitic. He is listed as a patron on the campaign's website.The Hamas statement which called upon the "current British government to stop supporting the Israeli occupation state" said that Corbyn's message "condemned the Israeli occupation forces' shooting at unarmed Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza who were calling for their rights to be recognized," and said that "He stressed that peace cannot be achieved with the continued illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories."Referring to Trump's peace plan which is "doomed to failure", the statement saluted "Mr. Jeremy Corbyn for his principled position in rejecting the so-called Trump Plan for the Middle East or the 'Deal of the Century' if it was based on erasing Palestinian rights, primarily the right to an independent state."The rally marked the 71st anniversary of the Nakba, or "catastrophe," referring to the formation of the State of Israel. It was organized by the PSC with support from the Stop the War Coalition, Palestinian Forum in Britain, Friends of Al-Aqsa and the Muslim Association of Britain, as well as several trade unions and the Momentum faction of the British Labour Party.The rally was led by Ahed Tamimi, the female teenage activist who became a Palestinian national symbol after being jailed in Israel for aggravated assault, hindering a soldier in the line of duty, incitement, threatening a soldier’s life and rock throwing - including one incident caught on video in which she slapped a soldier.At the protest, Tamimi called herself a freedom fighter and stated "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."With reference to the rally, Corbyn posted on Facebook that, "we cannot stand by or stay silent at the continuing denial of rights and justice to the Palestinian people,"adding that "the Labour Party is united in condemning the ongoing human rights abuses by Israeli forces, including the shooting of hundreds of unarmed Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza – most of them refugees or families of refugees – demanding their rights."Corbyn proclaimed his support for the Palestinian cause and criticized the Israeli government. "A Labour government will recognize a Palestinian state and press for an immediate return to meaningful negotiations, aimed at achieving a lasting settlement based on UN resolutions, international law and justice that has been too long denied."
Chairman of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, Gideon Falter, told MailOnline that "clearly, Hamas feels that when it comes to Jews, Jeremy Corbyn is a brother-in-arms. Who could say that they are wrong after this weekend’s chilling antisemitic rally? It was so filled with Jew-hatred that both the National Front and the Muslim Brotherhood came along to support it.""Jeremy has a long and principled record of solidarity with the Palestinian people. That is the right thing to do," a Labour spokesperson told the media outlet.The Labour leader has found himself in hot water due to comments and actions from his past. Corbyn praised an antisemitic book in 2011 after being asked to write a foreword for the reprint of the 1902 book Imperialism: A Study, written by John Atkinson Hobson.The emergence of Corbyn’s foreword generated consternation from Jewish groups and leaders in the UK, with the Board of Deputies of British Jews demanding a full explanation from the Labour leader, and from Labour MP Margaret Hodge, who is Jewish. The board said that the foreword demonstrated Corbyn’s “tolerance of antisemitic views.”The book states how "international capitalism” is “controlled by men of a single and peculiar race, who have behind them many centuries of financial experience,” referring to the Jews and in particular the Rothschild family.
