Labour’s non-Zionist Jews complain of ‘disdain’
JVL Introduction
The result of Keir Starmer’s so-called ‘ruthlessness in rooting out antisemitism’ has been that current and former Jewish members of Labour who are pro-Palestinian feel targeted, harassed and discriminated against in the party.
Middle East Eye reporter Imran Mulla spoke to three such Jewish activists: Andrew Feinstein (who is running as an independent in Starmer’s Holborn & St Pancras constituency), Jenny Manson (co-chair of JVL) and Cllr Martin Abrams.
It is a tale of rampant weaponisation of antisemitism and a concerted campaign against the left, as seen through the eyes of three people directly affected by it.
RK
This article was originally published by Middle East Eye on Mon 1 Jul 2024. Read the original here.
UK election 2024: Labour's non-Zionist Jews complain of 'disdain'
Current and former Jewish members of Labour who are pro-Palestinian tell MEE they feel targeted, harassed and discriminated against
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And can I just add the following: Had BN and Co agreed to a permanent ceasefire months ago, as they could have done if they’d wanted to, then not only would the rest of the hostages have been freed months ago – and those who have been killed by Israeli bombs in the meantime still be alive – but also scores of IDF soldiers who have been killed in the past few months would still be alive (and the hundreds who have been maimed NOT have been maimed). And the longer BN and Co (and Biden and Blinken et al) let the bloodbath and slaugter go on, the more hostages and Israeli soldiers (mostly young men) will be killed.
Is pro-Palestinian Labour so dense that it only now feels hard done by by “Zionist without qualification” Starmer. Come on now! Over a hundred thousand Palestinians have been killed and maimed by Jewish Zionists in the last 9 months alone and 2 million ethnically cleansed from their homes, which have mostly been destroyed. And chief Labour backer of this, (Starmer), is about to be our Prime Minister from which position he can deny ANY Israeli wrong doing, and back the complete separation of Palestinians from “Palestinian Zion”. Who do you think is going to stop Smotrich from colonising Gaza? (No-one is halting ethnic cleansing in the W Bank. Why Gaza?)
Until we change the voting system and GET PR DONE!, winning as an indy candidates is almost impossible. Two parties, the Tories and Labour (under both Starmer and Corbyn) have been opposed to changing the voting system. No surprise! They are the main beneficiaries of the current FPTP system.
This policy of slandering Labour Party members who criticise Zionism and the current policies of Israel does not originate from within the UK. It comes from Israel, which has a stranglehold on whoever is in power in the UK. Or in opposition, notably Keir Starmer.
It’s actually terrifying that Starmer could be Prime Minister, no media interviews ask him about his treatment of Jews in the Labour Party, his weaponisation of the antisemitism smear to attack, silence and expel non Zionists in Labour took an more evil turn when he targeted Jewish members with this horrendous insult, yet the media who were like rabid dogs when it was Corbyn being targeted ( BBC especially determinedly ignored any Jewish members of any audience who spoke up for him) yet when very real acts of antisemitism against these Jews by Starmer the silence in the media is DEAFENING.. Starmer is NOT the lesser evil as so many Labour voters use as a reason to vote for him to get the Tories out but he is the last nail in the coffin of Labour as a left wing party for the Many and Britain as a Democracy with REAL choice of Political Parties to choose from.
I have been a Labour member for 44 years. Like Jenny, my parents and grandparents were Labour supporters. I am also a member of JVP (Jewish Voice for Peace). I see the Labour Party and UK and USA governments as appeasers for Netanyahu and his government. I believe the actions of Israel in Gaza and the West Bank are remarkably akin to those of the Nazi attempt at the genocide of Jews in WW2. The list is endless – not least the evicting of Palestinians from their homes which are then taken over by Jewish settlers. The hatred coming from Israel to Palestine is palpable, and has been for 70 years. The blanket of cries of ‘antisemitism’ in criticism of Israel is wearing thin.
Keir Starmer is the sort of person you would hate to be stuck in a trench with. At any opportunity he would hand you over to the to the enemy to save his own skin. An utter charlatan bereft of any integrity whatsoever.
We need these voices to be amplified and broadcast more on mainstream media. We hear nothing of the persecution leftwing Jews have suffered from the Labour leader and his staff, and it is a disgrace that needs exposing.
Actually I am slightly at variance with the views expressed above and in the article itself. Having been by turns embattled, furious, bewildered and cynical about the utter refusal to recognise our bare existence let alone our truths — I now feel that the horror of Gaza , the marches and the student camps have at last forced an acknowledgment that not all Jews are Zionists. At this moment I’d rather go on being traduced if it would bring back the 40,000 Palestinian dead. I therefore feel it’s the wrong moment for us to be complaining about being treated with disrespect. We have actually had more recognition than ever before, and the generous solidarity of people who are suffering far more than we are.