Israel’s FM congratulates UK Labour new leader on his victory, expresses hopes for better ties
Israel’s Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz congratulated Keir Starmer on his election to lead the UK’s Labour Party over the weekend.
Keith Starmer
“I hope he will live up to his promise to eradicate antisemitism that has emerged in the party in recent years and like former Labour leaders, he will strengthen the friendship between Britain and Israel,” Katz stated Saturday night.
Starmer is replacing Jeremy Corbyn who has been embroiled in multiple incidents of ant-Semitism and has expressed extreme views against Israel and in support of terrorism.
In his victory speech, Stramer declared he would seek out antisemitism within the party and “tear out this poison by its roots.”
Several Labour members have been involved in incidents of antisemitism but faced minor or no consequences.
Starmer’s wife comes from a Jewish family and her father is Jewish. She has extended family living in Israel.
“If the definition of ‘Zionist’ is someone who believes in the state of Israel, in that sense I’m a Zionist,” he told the Jewish Chronicle.
“As the new leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir must disentangle the corruption that allowed antisemitism to be institutionalized in his Party,” the UK-based Campaign against Ant-Semitism stated.
“Those who committed antisemitic acts, those who interfered in disciplinary processes to protect them, and those who dismissed Jewish fears as being part of an orchestrated smear campaign must all be made to answer for their actions,” the antisemitism watchdog demanded.
TPS
