Morning Star pulls article blaming Israel for anti-Semitism

A far-left newspaper that regularly features articles by Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn apologised for running an op-ed linking rising anti-Semitism to “Israel’s crimes.”

On Wednesday, The Morning Star pulled offline an article titled “Rising Anti-Semitism Cannot be Tackled without Addressing Israel’s Crimes.”

“This article has been removed from the website as it crossed a line in attributing anti-Semitism to the policies of the Israeli government and made demands on the ‘Jewish diaspora’ and ‘Jewish community’ as if these were responsible for Israeli policy or obliged to account for it,” the paper said in explanation.

John Elder, which some Labour activists said is a nom de plume, wrote the op-ed.

“The Morning Star deeply regrets publication of the article, which was submitted by an external contributor and which we failed to vet with the care necessary on a subject of such importance,” the paper said.

Once affiliated with Britain’s Communist Party, The Morning Star is popular with many members of Momentum, the movement that supports Corbyn.

Corbyn called Hezbollah and Hamas his “friends” in 2009, though he said after being elected to head Labour in 2015 that he regretted making the remark. In 2012, Corbyn defended on Facebook the creator of an anti-Semitic mural. Corbyn deleted his Facebook account earlier this year after news of this post surfaced.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews has said that British Jews cannot trust Corbyn.

Corbyn has vowed not to tolerate anti-Semitism in Labour but his critics, including the Jewish Board, say he has so far failed to follow through.