Corbyn hits back at Netanyahu’s ‘false’ claim about Munich wreath-laying
Labour leader responds to the Israeli PM's 'unequivocal condemnation' of his actions, by criticising his policies towards Palestinians in Gaza
Jeremy Corbyn has clashed with the Israeli prime minister as a row escalated over the Labour leader’s presence at an event which included the honouring of a Palestinian suspected of involvement in the Munich Olympics massacre.
Benjamin Netanyahu said Mr Corbyn deserved “unequivocal condemnation”, accusing him of laying a wreath on the grave of one of those behind the 1972 atrocity in which 11 Israeli athletes were killed, at a Tunisian cemetery in 2014.
The right-wing Likud leader also criticised the Labour leader for drawing parallels between Israeli actions against Palestinians and Nazi atrocities.
Mr Corbyn hit back in the Twitter spat, saying the accusations were “false” and blasting Mr Netanyahu’s policies in Gaza.
Mr Corbyn had earlier said he had been present when a wreath was laid to “those that were killed in Paris in 1992”, but he did not “think” he was involved in laying it during a controversial visit to the Palestinian Martyrs’ Cemetery.
Labour said he attended the event only to remember victims of a 1985 Israeli air strike on Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) offices in Tunis.
Israeli secret service Mossad was accused of killing terrorists behind the Olympics attack, including Atef Bseiso, a PLO intelligence chief, who was killed in the French capital in 1992.
Writing on Twitter, Mr Netanyahu said: “The laying of a wreath by Jeremy Corbyn on the graves of the terrorist who perpetrated the Munich massacre and his comparison of Israel to the Nazis deserves unequivocal condemnation from everyone – left, right and everything in between.”
Mr Corbyn was quick to deny the claims, saying: “Israeli PM @Netanyahu’s claims about my actions and words are false.
What deserves unequivocal condemnation is the killing of over 160 Palestinian protesters in Gaza by Israeli forces since March, including dozens of children.”
Israeli PM @Netanyahu's claims about my actions and words are false.
What deserves unequivocal condemnation is the killing of over 160 Palestinian protesters in Gaza by Israeli forces since March, including dozens of children.https://t.co/H5nXqi3pnU
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) August 13, 2018
Corbyn added further criticism of Israel’s controversial Nation State Law, saying it “discriminates against Israel’s Palestinian minority.
“I stand with the tens of thousands of Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel demonstrating for equal rights at the weekend in Tel Aviv”, he said.
A spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn told the Jewish News: “As has been consistently stated, Jeremy Corbyn visited the Palestine National Cemetery in Tunisia to support Palestinian rights and honour the victims of the illegal 1985 airstrike, many of whom were civilians, on the PLO’s headquarters – an attack condemned by the UN.”
“Jeremy did not lay any wreath at the graves of those alleged to have been linked to the Black September organisation or the 1972 Munich killings. He of course condemns that terrible attack, as he does the 1985 bombing.”
The Labour leader faced calls to quit on Monday over his controversial visit to the cemetery four years ago.
The row erupted after the Daily Mail published pictures of the Labour leader holding a wreath in the cemetery, which it said were taken in front of a plaque honouring the founder of Black September.
The Palestinian terrorist group killed 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Asked about the incident during a visit to Walsall on Monday, Mr Corbyn said: “A wreath was indeed laid by some of those who attended conference to those that were killed in Paris in 1992.
“I was present when it was laid. I don’t think I was actually involved in it (laying it).
“I was there because I wanted to see a fitting memorial to everyone who has died in every terrorist incident everywhere because we have to end it.
“You cannot pursue peace by a cycle of violence. The only way you pursue peace is a cycle of dialogue.”
Criticism came from the Conservatives and from within Mr Corbyn’s own party.
Jewish Labour MP Luciana Berger said: “Being ‘present’ is the same as being involved.
“When I attend a memorial, my presence alone, whether I lay a wreath or not, demonstrates my association & support.
“There can also never be a ‘fitting memorial’ for terrorists. Where is the apology?
The widows of the Israeli athletes said they were “extremely disturbed” by claims about the visit, exclusively to Jewish News.
However, Jonathan Goldstein, chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, said the revelations showed he was “not fit to be a member of parliament, let alone a national leader. He has spent his entire political career cavorting with conspiracy theorists, terrorists and revolutionaries who seek to undo all the good for which our ancestors have given their lives”.
Some see the latest reports as a watershed moment.
A senior communal source told Jewish News: “Jonathan Goldstein’s statement goes further than any leader has before. It reflects a feeling that we may have reached the point of no return in relations between the community and Corbyn. His inability to face up honestly to his past and his role in the current sorry state of affairs in his party makes it very hard to see a way back.”
Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis said the row showed Mr Corbyn was “unfit for senior public office”. Writing in Tuesday’s Daily Mail, Mr Lewis said that “decent” Labour members should be questioning whether Mr Corbyn should continue to lead “a party that has long fought to promote anti-racism and social justice”.
A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: “Jeremy did not lay any wreath at the graves of those alleged to have been linked to the Black September organisation or the 1972 Munich killings.
“He of course condemns that terrible attack, as he does the 1985 bombing.”
Mr Corbyn said last year he had spoken at the conference and “I laid a wreath to all those that had died in the air attack that took place on Tunis, on the headquarters of the Palestinian organisations there”.
Writing in the Morning Star at the time of the visit, Mr Corbyn said wreaths had been laid not only at the memorial, but also “on the graves of others killed by Mossad agents in Paris in 1991”.
The pictures emerged amid continuing controversy over Labour’s refusal to adopt in full an international definition of anti-Semitism, including a list of examples of anti-Semitic behaviour.
Labour launched a consultation with Jewish groups over the code, after protests that the version agreed by the party’s ruling National Executive Committee omits four examples relating to criticism of the state of Israel.
Mr Corbyn said on Monday that Labour’s version of code was the “most sophisticated” of any political party.
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.
