Amid mounting allegations of Labour tolerating anti-Semites in its ranks, the party is continuing to publicly criticize the Israeli government while insisting it is in no way prejudiced against Jews.
The Labour Party passed a motion at its party conference on Tuesday criticizing the Israeli Defense Force’s (IDF) use of force against protesters, and called for Britain to end arms exports to the country until further notice.
This week’s Labour Party conference took place in the city of Liverpool and saw delegates wave Palestine’s national flag in a display of solidarity, ahead of the vote.
Brits reacted with mixed feelings to posts showing the Palestinian flags and anti-Israel placards on display at the conference.
Such a powerful moment when over 1000 Palestinians flags flew in solidarity with #Palestine whilst the #StopArmingIsrael motion was heard at #Lab18. First time in living memory a Palestine motion heard at Labour conference. Palestine will be free. pic.twitter.com/8cGPmB9tps
— Huda Ammori (@HudaAmmori) 25 сентября 2018 г.
Despite opposition politicians and Jewish rights groups accusing the Labour Party of becoming anti-Semitic under Corbyn’s leadership, the party has repeatedly insisted it does not possess an anti-Jewish agenda, stressing it has a zero-tolerance policy on anti-Semitism.
Speaking at the conference, Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry reaffirmed Labour’s commitment to stamping out anti-Semitism, saying they must kick out “sickening individuals who use our legitimate support for Palestine as a cloak and a cover for their despicable hatred of Jewish people.”
In addition to the display of support for the Palestinian Authority, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pledged to recognize it as an independent state “as soon as we take office”, saying they want a “secure and viable Palestine” to exist alongside Israel.
With Brexit negotiations faltering and the ruling Tory Party looking unstable, a snap general election is on the cards, and although some polls have pegged Labour as the favorites to win, the party could be held back by the ongoing anti-Semitism scandal.