Keir Starmer woos “the Jewish community”, apologises for the Corbyn years
JVL Introduction
Keir Starmer is assiduously wooing what he regards as “the Jewish community” as this interview with the editor of the Jewish Chronicle makes clear.
And to do that he is determined to put clear blue water – oceans of it – between himself and his predecessor.
He doesn’t mind if the water is tinged with red, as supporters of Jeremy Corbyn are disciplined, expelled, demonised and as his and Labour’s socialist vision in 2017 and 2019, which Keir canvassed for, is shredded.
You can watch Keir squirm as the JC repeats quotes and footage of him supporting Corbyn and Labour at the time and now tries to square that with his anti-Corbyn zeal now.
We just want to highlight one small contradiction in Keir’s attempted love-in with the JC.
He alludes to Party conference where, he says, he received support – “The whole room got up, thousands of ordinary Labour Party members” – for his line on accepting the EHRC report.
He conveniently forgets that the whole Labour Party conference even more overwhelmingly passed a devastating motion on Israel and apartheid – which he rejects. He simply doesn’t mention that decision of the conference, let alone the “sovereignty of Conference”.
And, as Skwawkbox reveals (see below after report of speech), all record of that historic session are being expunged from the Labour party website!
If only the historical record were so easy to rewrite…
Below we present some extracts from the interview as well as the text of the Party Conference motion on Israel and apartheid.
This article was originally published by the Jewish Chronicle on Thu 7 Apr 2022. Read the original here.
Israel is not an apartheid state, says Keir Starmer as he apologises for the Corbyn years
In his first interview with the JC since becoming leader, Sir Keir appeals for Jews to return to Labour
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Perhaps the most worrying thing about this is when he uses the phrase “That is not the Labour Party position.” when talking about Israel being an Apartheid State. As the motion makes clear, that IS actually the Labour party position, as decided by Conference, a decision that he’s trying to ignore and remove from the record. It would seem that Starmer believes that the Labour Party position is anything HE believes and be damned with what Conference thinks. Note the contrast with Corbyn, who wanted to get rid of Trident but acknowledged (and supported, however reluctantly) the Labour Party position to keep it.
The last vestiges of democracy are being removed from the Labour party. I’m seriously wondering what the point of staying is now. As anybody who’s read my posts here might know, I have a (perhaps obsessive) belief in PR and have always thought it worth staying to advocate and push for this. But if he’s just going to ignore everything Conference says… really, what’s the point?
I really wonder what Starmer thinks he can gain electorally from this ridiculous contradiction of the well-debated Conference decision.
More voters of all political parties when surveyed agreed than disagreed that Israel was apartheid, even in 2017……all except the Tory voters.
When it comes to ethnic minorities that provided around 20% of Labour’s vote, around 30% agreed and 7% disagreed on the apartheid statement.
The Jewish vote is relatively small (0.5% population vs 14% BAME), and they vote largely Tory, so I doubt Starmer would win any to Labour anyway.
In the US it was reported that pro-Israel donors are influencing the Democrat leaders to support Israel, when grassroot members and voters have more sympathy for the plight of Palestinians.
It looks like Starmer is out of step with Labour voters as well as members, and though this issue is not a priority for most, his betrayal does support the criticism that he is more interested in defending the Tory establishment than winning elections, or respecting human rights, or even protecting our own most vulnerable.
I am ashamed to have such a tyrannical so called ‘leader’ of the Labour Party totally ignore its members, even to write them out of history.
It is clear that the Israeli regime is an apartheid state. This man is now in occupation of the Labour Party and does not share its grass roots members ideology, and has bought our Democratic Socialist party into disrepute and should resign.
Sir Keir’s problem is that he doesn’t have any feeling for political issues.
While he praises Israel, and condemns anti-Zionist Jews in the Labour Party for being anti-Semitic, he fails to see that Israel is by far today’s most successful recruiter of international antisemites.
Israel is not having successful wars. It wasn’t until three days ago that foreign minister Yair Lapid got round to issuing a statement criticizing Russia for war crimes in the Ukraine, waiting until it could not be left any longer without attracting adverse attention. It is a poor excuse to suggest that Naftalie Bennett was trying to broker peace between the two parties, especially because President Erdogan of Turkey appears to be doing the job, albeit without success.
War against the Palestinians is also not going well. Recent respected international agencies and organisations, including Amnesty International, the Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic, and the UN Special Rapporteurs for the Palestinian Territories have all reported Israel as an apartheid state.
The Tzedek Chicago Synagogue has declared itself to be “anti-Zionist”. Does Sir Keir condemn these Jews as anti-Semitic?
A 2020 survey found that 48% of 18 to 29 year-olds polled “Very or somewhat” and 51% “Not very or not at all” as to the attachment of US Jews towards Israel. Amongst the 30’s to 49ers the figures were reversed 52% to 47%, and only at 50+ does support reach the mid-60%.
Neither Israel nor Sir Keir is helped by Russian Jewish oligarchs with Israeli and British citizenship, like Roman Abramovitch, and Dr Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, being sanctioned by Britain.
Open your eyes and your heart, Sir Keir. Your condemnation of Russia actions against the Ukraine people is weakened by failure to condemn Israel’s attempt to destroy the Palestinian people.
I trust the people who are supporting Starmer are aware that Starmer may not have a very long tenure and whoever takes the reins will if of a socialist persuasion need to be as thorough as Starmer in clearing the decks of blue rosettes so Mr Starmer’s legacy is division.
Thank you for publishing the full text of the conference resolution on Israel
Be careful about using JC as an abbreviation as the two obvious interpretations particularly in this context are directly opposite in their meanings
Thank you also for your latest complaint to the EHRC
When will we see Starmer’s decision contested to pay out hundreds of thousands of pounds from Labour Party funds?
Keir Starmer and David Evan’s have consitantly lied to the Membership. We passed a Motion in Westminster North supporting the Conference Motion and condemning the Leadership’s crapping on it the next day. The Labour Party cannot be socialist without being democratic. All along it has been about ridding the Party of socialism and its Labour Movement roots. It so happened that antisemitism presented an opportunity as a weapon to do just that. It’s hard to place a cigarette paper between the two main parties. Just that the Torries are run by a cohort of thieves, presided over the deaths of thousands with the pandemic and are trying to beef themselves up with belligerent and bellicose statements on the war, never mind about the continued extreme suffering of ordinary Ukranians, that Starmer looks slightly better. Difficullt not to, somehow. Even when Starmer tries to outshout the call to expanding Militarism. I suspect this was always his oeuvre even when pretending to be loyal to Corbyn. Just waiting his Moment. Shameful. But he’s fooling himself if he thinks the Membership is on his side. We know the lengths and expense he has gone to cover up the truth.
It may well be the case that, as the Jewish Chronicle states: “More members voted to debate Israel that year than Covid, public services, social care, transport, the motion on “fire and rehire” and workers’ rights.” The Left’s interest in Palestine/Israel is often taken as an indicator of anti-semitism by advocates for Israel. In the Guardian last year, Jonathan Freedland wrote: “#FreePalestine could be on its way to joining #MeToo or #BlackLivesMatter as an issue that a global generation regards as of paramount importance … Those with a strong connection to Israel scratch their heads at this, wondering why, of all the appalling things going on in the world, this is the one that cuts through.” I took no interest in Israel/Palestine until Jonathan Freedland and others of similar persuasion launched their assault on Jeremy Corbyn. To keep Corbyn’s alleged anti-semitism in the headlines is to keep Palestine/Israel in the headlines. Why the need for scratched heads?
It strikes me that Keir Starmer is a worse hypocritical liar than Johnson.
Disgraceful.
Alan Maddison.
Numbers don’t always reflect the reality on the ground. Jewish Zionists are energetic and passionate, anti Zionists less so. Starmer has made it clear that he will ignore ordinary party members on Palestinian rights and unless he receives a shock at the May elections this policy will continue.
These matters covered above and many other issues, have led to me leaving the Labour Party, which I first joined and campaigned for in 1966. The Labour Party has ceased to be a democratic party but has instead reverted to becoming a followership (to use Coleridges term).
I want to be politically involved so have joined the Green Party who are bursting with clear policy ideas, most of which I wholeheartedly agree with. 90% of the communications I receive from the Green Party relate to policy matters.
I am a Unite branch secretary.
A person could have zero knowledge of Starmer ‘s treachery and race-favoritism and still know him for an appalling hypocrite on the basis of his shifty body-language and verbal deflections alone.
Starmer living down to expectations as usual. Let’s hope he gets thrashed in the May elections sadly in my ward there is only Labour, Lib dem or Conservative to vote for so holding my nose I will vote lib dem to send a message.
I sometimes wonder whether Starmer’s unbridled, politically naive enthusiasm for Zionism and for rooting out “the Left” is driven by Blair and Mandelson (his main backers?) being long-term residents of America and having absorbed unquestioningly the American way of doing politics?
Like other contributors, I think Labour can be reclaimed only if (1) the May local elections are calamitous for Starmer; or (2) there is an embryonic, organised and financially prepared “Real Labour Party” prepared to take over immediately the current incumbents drive the party into bankruptcy; or (3) the actions of the current leadership can be proved to be fundamentally illegal. I suppose there may be some hope of (3) happening following publication of the Forde Inquiry Report (allegedly happening sometime in May).
Linda. the problem with 1 is that yes, Starmer might have to resign if May goes badly but a) I wouldn’t count on it; and b) if he does resign, we’ll have a leadership “contest” in which the only candidates will be those approved by the MPs. The right wing has such a lock on the party now that I can’t see any candidate with even a hint of socialism being approved by the necessary number of MPs.
3) essentially suffers from the same problem, and would also be preceded by horrendous, drawn out court battles, which wouldn’t be pleasant for anyone. Which leaves 2) – but I’m not hopeful about that either. The Labour Party’s financial position is precarious, but it’s a long way from bankruptcy and if it were to approach that, I could see a bail out from rich members of Progress staving it off (with whatever quid pro quo they’d extract for this). Without the complete destruction of the Labour party (through bankruptcy or anything else), an ’embryonic, organised and financially prepared “Real Labour Party”’ would be a disaster under FPTP, either sinking without trace or, if we were “lucky”, splitting the anti-Tory vote (a la the SDP in 1983), leading to Johnson and co being in power for a generation or two. FPTP is murder on new parties. Perhaps we should abolish it?
Starmer is conclusive proof that the Labour Party is finished even as a social-democratic entity.
I have recently revisited the Kosovo adventure. I had forgotten much of the history of that conflict. I had almost entirely the opposition to the bombing of Serbia. Of particular interest was re reading Harold Pinters’ passionate denunciation of Tony Blair. During the last years of his life he tried to get Blair arraigned before the court in the Hague on war crime charges. He failed ,of course but there is no doubt that Blairs actions constituted war crimes during that conflict. What we see today is my Party being advised by this man. I voted for Starmer but within a few months I resigned my membership after six decades. The Party has lost its moral compass .
Has anyone not cancelled their direct debits and remember not to tell them
That way if there is a leadership election you can pay the arrears and vote
Whilst this particular jolly wheeze may be enough to tip them over the edge when added to their mismanagement, the bottom line is its the Unions who have the power to step in and say enough is enough
Hopefully May elections that they have no money to fight and no boots on the ground will be enough to get them to pull the plug
In the above article it says the following:
At the time, Mr Marr challenged him. “You’re loyal to Jeremy Corbyn and you’ve spoken in his defence just now,” he said, “but Louise Ellman says he is a danger not just to the Labour Party but to the entire British Jewish community.”
Isn’t it funny how like more than a few other people during Jeremy’s tenure as leader, Louise Ellman alludes to something, but doesn’t elaborate about what she is alluding to. Surely, if she believed that Jeremy was a danger to the ‘entire British Jewish community’, she would state what that danger amounts to and what he would do exactly, but the reason she DOESN’T of course is because it’s complete and utter malevolent and evil black propaganda.
Mind you, I agree with her that he was a danger to the Labour Party…… the Blairite wing of the Labour Party, that is! And the status quo potentially!