Corbyn ‘missed an opportunity’ to visit Israel, says JLC chair

Jonathan Goldstein says the Labour leader could have gone to the Jewish state after visiting neighbouring Jordan

Jonathan Goldstein addresses the large crowd in Parliament Square at the #EnoughIsEnough demo Credit Marc Morris

The chairman executive of the Jewish Leadership Council has said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn “missed an opportunity” to visit Israel on his recent trip to the Middle East and suggested he take a leaf out of Prince William’s book.

Writing in The Times, Jonathan Goldstein said Corbyn’s refusal to go to Israel “speaks volumes about his willingness to learn anything outside his narrow view of foreign policy”.

He compared Corbyn’s visit to a Palestinian refugee camp with the second-in-line to the throne, who “went to Israel and the Palestinian territories where he learnt of co-existence projects and of the vibrancy of the region’s people”.

Goldstein said “an aspirant prime minister” would have visited Israel, adding: “If Mr Corbyn aspires to be a statesman rather than an activist he has to realise that there are no political conflicts where the narrative of one side is always right and the other side is always wrong.”

read more:
comments