Corbyn ‘suspected hand of Israel’ in Egypt bombing during Press TV interview
Labour leader accused of taking the party into a 'dark place of ugly conspiracy theories' after footage emerged of him on the Iranian channel.
Justin Cohen is the News Editor at the Jewish News
Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of “leading Labour into a dark place of ugly conspiracy theories” after footage emerged of him suggesting Israel could be behind a 2012 terror attack on Egyptian police.
Sixteen policemen and border guards were killed and seven injured in the jihadi attack. But interviewed on Iran’s Press TV that year, Corbyn said: “I’m very concerned about it [the massacre] and you have to look at the big picture: in whose interests is it to destabilise the new government in Egypt? In whose interest is it to kill Egyptians, other than Israel, concerned at the growing closeness of relationship between Palestine and the new Egyptian government?”
The then backbencher was then asked by presenter Lauren Booth if “a Muslim go against his Egyptian brother and open fire?”. He responded: “It seems a bit unlikely that would happen during Ramadan, to put it mildly, and I suspect the hand of Israel in this whole process of destabilisation.”
The year before Israel said three Egyptian officers may have been killed accidentally by Israel during a breach of the border by Palestinian terrorists, who had reached Israel from Egypt after using tunnels from Gaza. Ehud Barak, then defence minister, issued an apology at the time. It was this incident, according to a Labour Party spokesperson, on which Corbyn’s “speculation” was based.
In the same programme he sits in silence as a Hamas terrorist – convicted for his role in a Jerusalem cafe bombing which claimed seven lives – recounts his experiences in an Israeli jail without the audience being told about the nature of his crimes. He was said by Israel to have provided the apartment for the bomber to prepare and kept guard as he did so – for which he was given seven life sentences.
As uncovered by the CST’s Dave Rich, Corbyn told Booth he had met the featured “brother” and others freed under the deal to release Gilad Shalit. He also said: “If there was a serious case against the individual prisoners that Israel clams there would be then there wouldn’t be an appeal, they wouldn’t get out, they wouldn’t be released.” He adds he’s “glad” they have been released. However, the Labour leader was accused by the JLC’s Jonathan Goldstein of being “disingenuous” in referring to an appeal when there was none involved in the prisoner swap.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said it is also preparing a complaint against Corbyn over his comments on Press TV blaming Israel for the incident.
A Labour spokesman said: “In 2012 Jeremy was commenting on the prison conditions of Palestinian prisoners, including elected representatives. He was of course in no way supporting or endorsing the actions of the prisoners, but defending their rights under international law.”
The latest controversy comes after a fortnight that has seen a councillor suspended for suggesting Jews drink blood and two Labour MPs warned of disciplinary action for speaking out in forceful terms against the party’s new code of conduct on anti-Semitism while a pledge to tackle the vast majority of outstanding cases by the end of this month has not been met.
Marie van der Zyl, President of the Board of Deputies, said: “Even by Labour’s low standards, the last few days have been utterly shameful.
“Jeremy Corbyn is leading the Labour Party into a dark place of ugly conspiracy theories and it has become a home for overt antisemites and antisemitism. In 2018, Labour is not only a Party with extravagant levels of tolerance for antisemitism but one which deliberately obstructs measures to counter hatred and punishes those who speak out against it. Jeremy Corbyn needs to lead Labour out of this deep abyss and urgently demonstrate to the world Labour can return to being an anti-racist party.”
Goldstein said it was time for Corbyn to be “more honest with us and his party about his views on the Middle East. When Corbyn says he believes in a two state solution does he mean that in good faith and as it is recognised by others who promote it? Does he believe in a Palestinian state living side by side with a Jewish state or does he believe in something else all together? His endorsement of Hamas as evidenced by his appearance on Press TV does leave us wondering what his position on the existence of Israel as a Jewish state is”.
The Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council has also not been asked to attend any further meetings with Corbyn, despite plans for follow-up talks this month.
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.
