THE LABOUR Party’s governing body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), yesterday adopted all of the examples of ‘anti-Semitism’ in the international definition, in addition to the definition itself.
The meeting, scheduled to last for half an hour, actually went on for four and a half hours as the NEC thrashed out the issue.
After this decision Labour party members who:
• Accuse Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel than to the interests of their own nations
• Deny the Jewish people their right to self-determination, for instance by claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavour
• Require of Israel a behaviour not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation
• Draw comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis – are liable to be expelled from the Labour Party.
In a statement, the NEC said: ‘The NEC welcomes Jeremy Corbyn’s statement to the meeting about action against anti-Semitism, solidarity with the Jewish community and protection of Palestinian rights as an important contribution to the conciliation to Labour’s code of conduct.’
Before the NEC meeting Corbyn’s position was that including these four examples without any qualifications meant that Labour Party members who make criticism of Israel and support the Palestinains could be expelled from the Party for being ‘anti-Semites’.
So far this year at least 171 Palestinians have been killed and more than 18,000 injured since the beginning of ‘The Great March of Return’ protests on March 30. More than 200 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces’ firing live ammunition and poisoned gas bombs last Friday alone.
‘The Great March of Return’ protests were launched on March 30th by thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza which has suffered from a decade-long Israeli siege. Yesterday news broke that Israeli officials are planning to construct dozens of new settler units in occupied East Jerusalem, despite the international outcry against the Israeli regime’s land expropriation and settlement expansion policies in Palestinian territories.
Israeli municipal authorities met yesterday to discuss a plan to build 75 settler units in the Beit Hanina neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. The initial plan includes allocating 11 square kilometres for the construction of eight blocks, with seven to 12 floors.
Less than a month before US President Donald Trump took office, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2334, calling on Israel to ‘immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.’
About 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Many Palestinians will be disappointed that the Labour Party NEC has shifted its position and given in to the Israeli government inspired attacks on Palestine.
One thing is certain, the NEC’s capitulation to the right-wing Labour witchhunt will only encourage the Tories to escalate their anti-Corbyn witch-hunt.
