LFI welcomes removal of ‘end apartheid’ from advert for pro-Palestinian group’s Labour event

The Labour Friends of Israel organisation have praised a decision taking by officials in Keir Starmer’s party preventing the Palestine Solidarity Campaign from using the phrase “end apartheid” in an advert for one of its events.

PSC director director Ben Jamal told the website Labour List that his organisation had been told them could not use the words “end apartheid” at a fringe event being held at Labour’s annual conference next week.

The event had originally been titled “Justice for Palestine: End Apartheid”, but now is listed without the final two words.

Jamal wrote that the move by party officials was “instructive”, and that under Starmer’s leadership Labour “prefers not to face a reality which it finds politically inexpedient”.

A spokesperson for Labour Friends of Israel told Jewish News:“The Labour party is absolutely right to refuse to propagate the morally abhorrent apartheid smear in its own conference brochure.

“Keir Starmer rightly opposes the effort to single out, demonise and delegitimise the world’s sole Jewish state.”

Speakers at next Tuesday’s fringe event in Liverpool include former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, Saleh Hijazi, Apartheid-Free Policy Co-ordinator for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions national committee, and ASLEF general secretary and Labour Unions chair Mick Whelan.

A party spokesperson said: “Keir Starmer has been clear that this is not the position of the Labour Party.”

Jewish News has previously revelled how Labour’s policy on the Middle East going into the next general election will avoid “immediate recognition” of a Palestinian state if Starmer is made prime minister.

Instead the party will pledge support for a secure Israel and “work alongside international partners to recognise the state of Palestine”.