Blair: Some Corbyn comments can’t be seen as anything other than antisemitic
Former prime minister says the current Labour leader's antisemitism crisis could 'imperil' the party, as he addressed Israeli audience at Bar-Ilan University
Tony Blair has told an Israeli audience that some of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s comments cannot be construed as anything other than “antisemitic”.
The former British prime minister was speaking at Bar-Ilan University’s Board of Trustees Gala this week and was asked about Brexit, Theresa May, Labour, Zionism, and how the technological revolution “is going to change everyone’s lives”.
The event was sponsored by British philanthropists David and Judy Dangoor who support scholarships for students at Bar-Ilan, and fund the Sir Naim Dangoor Programme for Universal Monotheism, to “take a universal message far beyond the borders of Israel about the ultimate unity of mankind”.
Blair, who has now been to Israel almost 200 times, was praised as an advocate of science and scientific responsibility, and told the audience that he no longer recognised the Labour Party under Corbyn’s leadership.
“To be frank this antisemitism row is a shameful thing. If you’d told me in 1997 or at any point in the next ten years that the Party had a problem with antisemitism I would not have credited or believed it, and yet it is here today.”
He added that antisemitism would “imperil the Labour Party – and it should, if it’s not rooted out and defeated,” to applause from the audience.
Asked if he agreed with Luciana Berger’s claim that Labour was now “institutionally antisemitic,” Blair said: “I see why she says it… We’re being investigated by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, which is one of the bodies I established. I never dreamed that it would be investigating Labour – and on this issue.”
“Some of the remarks are not explicable in any other way, I’m afraid, and that is very sad. Does he think he is? No, he doesn’t think he is at all. The question is what we do about it.”
He added: “Antisemitism always ends up in the same place, but it doesn’t always begin in the same way, and the antisemitism that is coming into west politics is coming in through a door that is on the left and not just on the right.
“There are links between elements of Islamism and the left, which seems contradictory from a progressive point of view. There is criticism of Israel that is so lop-died and disproportionate that the only sensible conclusion is that it derives from antisemitism.
We need to deal with a lot of the misperceptions. There’s an urgent need to explain to a new generation of younger people ‘what is Zionism, what’s its derivation, what does it mean. For many younger people they’ve no idea what it means but for them it’s becoming a word you use to criticise, not something you accept and support.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
