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Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Downplaying the anti-Semitism of the Corbyn years is a disgrace
It was hard not to sympathise with Jeremy Corbyn 's most devout supporters back when he was leader of the Labour Party. Desperate to cling on to whatever collective responsibility existed in the party at the time, determined to show undying loyalty to the Sage of Islington, they gritted their teeth and nodded along to his declaration that Labour would, at last, accept the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism. Many of them were profoundly unhappy about this apparent capitulation to the 'Zionist entity'. How could they possibly go through life without describing Israel, on a daily basis, as a 'racist endeavour', which the definition now proscribed? You have to hand it to the various and conflicting interests of what we call the hard-Left – they just about managed to make it to the 2019 general election with sufficient (though unconvincing) lip service to the IHRA's definition to make the party's pummelling at the hands of voters about something other than anti-Semitism. Which, under Corbyn's leadership, might be counted as a rare victory. But now, after hiding behind Labour's coattails for decades, the hard-Left has finally grown a backbone and decided to do what many in Labour have been urging them to do all along: leave the Labour Party and stand as a separate party. Be honest about your politics and your political ambitions and stop depending on Labour to get the usual handful of 'socialist' MPs elected at each election. If you're that principled, why depend on a party you clearly despise for the votes you need to win? In the last few weeks, precisely that has happened. Coventry MP Zarah Sultana has announced that she and Corbyn will co-lead a new Left-wing party that is so far without a name, a policy, or, indeed, a leader. To this rather shambolic state of affairs we shall return in due course. In the meantime, Sultana is likely to be one of those people who, having decided to leave Labour, fell into an easy chair with a loud sigh of relief and repeated over and over to herself: 'Israel is a racist endeavour, Israel is a racist endeavour, Israel…' In a potentially fascinating, and possibly consequential, intervention, Sultana has taken something of a swipe at Corbyn for his decision, during his tenure as leader of her old party, to accept – albeit reluctantly (some might say 'kicking and screaming') – the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. 'We have to build on the strengths of Corbynism… and we also have to recognise its limitations,' she told the New Left Review. 'It capitulated to the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, which famously equates it with anti-Zionism.' That sounds to me like a swipe at Corbyn himself, perhaps in revenge for his lukewarm (and apparently bewildered) response to her premature claim that she was to be a co-leader of his new party. To most normal people, adhering to the IHRA's definition of anti-Semitism wasn't a huge sacrifice, and it says something quite appalling that to those of Sultana's political outlook, it is an unconscionable compromise of their right to free speech. There is a certain type of politician for whom hatred and smearing of Israel – with its liberal democracy, Western-level human rights and tendency to shame by comparison all its Arab neighbours' own records in such matters – is an article of faith without such political life would be pointless. Given that the new party, whatever it is to be called, hopes to capitalise on the impatience of at least some British Muslims with Labour's stance on Israel, it is hardly a surprise that Sultana wants to allow members to defame Israel without fear of disciplinary action. Interestingly, another part of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism is the suggestion that British Jews are in any way responsible for the actions of Israel. Is this also something Sultana will not put up with? Certainly, judging by the behaviour of many of those middle-class keffiyeh-botherers who take to the streets every weekend, the acceptance of that particular part of the IHRA's definition would severely curb their venomous public declarations. And we can't have that, can we? Sultana has helped the rest of us define a little bit more what her new party is about. True, it doesn't yet have any structure or leadership, or even a membership – just a large list of online supporters. But the absence of policy – aside from hatred of Israel, obviously – is a problem. Since Sultana's announcement earlier in the summer, there is a sense that some precious momentum has been lost. Nothing much seems to be happening, and time is moving on. We may assume that the new party will be all for trans rights and will campaign to remove women's sex-based spaces and services. It will probably echo the Greens' demands for an immediate halt to all plastic production and oil drilling. We can feel confident that the identitarian bandwagon may consider itself fully boarded, with Critical Race Theory in particular a central part of the party's philosophy. Open-door immigration, whether it's described that way or not, will be in there, as will an open-arms policy for welcoming asylum seekers. So far, so predictable, although we might expect that other obligatory part of the hard-Left manifesto, the recognition of 'sex work' as legitimate, to face some resistance from the party's more, shall we say 'orthodox', members. This has all the ingredients for a thoroughly entertaining conference season and next few years in UK politics. Whatever the outcome of the policy-making process, Sultana and Corbyn will soon find themselves at the top of a party that, whatever else it stands for, hates Israel and will likely create a hostile environment for British Jews.
Al Bawaba
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Khamenei declares 'victory over Zionist entity,' warns U.S. and Israel of heavy future costs
ALBAWABA- In his first public address since the ceasefire was declared in the Iran-Israel conflict, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared what he described as a strategic victory for Iran and a humiliating failure for Israel and the United States. Addressing the nation, Khamenei congratulated the Iranian people for what he called a 'victory over the artificial Zionist entity,' claiming that Israel has been left 'reeling under blows it never anticipated.' He praised Iran's armed forces for penetrating Israel's multilayered defenses and rendering its military sites vulnerable, stating, 'Many of their civilian and military positions were leveled to the ground.' Khamenei sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump, accusing him of exaggerating the scale of the American attack on Iran while downplaying Iran's retaliatory strike on U.S. military assets. 'The American regime entered the war directly only because it feared the Zionist entity's total annihilation,' he said. 'They intervened—and achieved no success.' Also Read Missile hits Ashkelon as Iran launches new attack on Israel He confirmed that Iranian missiles had struck the U.S. Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, calling it a 'powerful slap' and warning that Iran possesses the capability to strike major American bases in the region whenever it deems necessary. 'This could be repeated again,' he warned, 'and its cost will be heavy.' The Supreme Leader also denounced what he called Washington's real intention, forcing Iran into unconditional surrender. 'Surrender will never happen,' he declared. 'They invoke excuses like the missile program and nuclear file, but they really want our submission. That will never come from a strong and united nation like Iran.' He concluded by emphasizing national unity, praising the Iranian people for their steadfast support of the armed forces. 'We thank God for our strength and for a nation that stands together in times of challenge. The strength of the Zionist entity has been nearly crushed beneath our response,' Khamenei said.
Al Bawaba
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Erdogan blasts Israel's brutality, warns of Zionist influence and calls for regional defense
ALBAWABA- In a fiery address in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared that Israel's actions have 'surpassed Hitler's brutality,' accusing the 'Zionist entity' of being a pampered tool of the West, operating without respect for international law or the basic human principles. Erdoğan warned that global Zionism has infiltrated nations across the region, embedding agents in political, military, security, intelligence, and economic institutions. He urged regional governments to take immediate action to cleanse their systems of foreign-backed traitors before it's too late, citing Türkiye's own past experiences confronting and purging such internal threats. Eğer bağımsızlık istiyorsan, eğer özgürlük istiyorsan, eğer bu topraklar üzerinde şerefinle, namusunla, izzetinle yaşamak istiyorsan, eğer ekonomik refah istiyorsan, eğer bolluk, bereket, dirlik istiyorsan, eğer huzur istiyorsan cenge her zaman hazır olacaksın. — Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) June 18, 2025 'Türkiye has dealt with betrayal before,' Erdoğan said, 'and we cleaned our institutions. Others must do the same.' He strongly defended Iran's right to self-defense amid the current Israeli-Iranian conflict, denouncing Israeli aggression and Western complicity. 'We are facing a state with no principles, no rules, and no regard for law,' he said. On national security, Erdoğan asserted that Türkiye now entirely relies on its own defense systems and is advancing toward full deterrence capability. 'Soon, just the thought of attacking Türkiye will terrify them,' he declared. 'If you want peace, prepare for war.' Erdoğan also criticized former allies who once sided with Israel and labeled Hamas as terrorists. Without naming names, he said they now lack the moral standing to question Türkiye's position. 'This is not a grocery store,' he concluded. 'We govern one of the greatest nations on Earth, the Republic of Türkiye, and we act not with cheap rhetoric, but with the responsibility and foresight of a state rooted in centuries of wisdom.'
Russia Today
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Iran accuses Israel of trying to spoil nuclear deal with US
Israel is trying to prevent Tehran from reaching a nuclear deal with the US, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in his first press conference since the escalation between the Islamic Republic and the Jewish state on Friday. The sixth round of talks between Washington and Tehran, which had been scheduled to take place in Oman on June 15, was canceled after Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on Friday in what the Islamic Republic has called a declaration of war. Iran responded by launching multiple volleys of ballistic missiles at targets in Israel, including the country's largest city, Tel Aviv. The countries continued to exchange strikes overnight and during the day on Sunday, with Israel attacking Iran's energy infrastructure and what it called sites 'related to the Iranian regime's nuclear weapons project.' Tehran fired more missiles at targets in Israel, including near Haifa and Tel Aviv; at least 10 people were reportedly killed and around 200 wounded in those attacks. In his comments on Saturday, Araghchi reiterated that the Iranian authorities maintain a 'firm conviction not to possess a nuclear weapon.' However, he noted that 'those who are willing to deprive Iran of our right to possess the nuclear program for peaceful purposes, they have no right to do so.' 'This is a crystal-clear matter. The Zionist entity [Israel] is not willing to see us reaching an agreement or a diplomatic solution with the US,' the minister said. According to Araghchi, a breakthrough could have well happened during the canceled talks between Tehran and Washington. 'The previous round of talks, the Americans presented a number of proposals, which were not totally acceptable to us. We presented our response and our viewpoints, and we were supposed to present a counter-proposal. Our proposal could have opened doors for an all-out agreement with the Americans,' he claimed. Earlier on Sunday, US President Donald Trump insisted that Washington 'had nothing to do' with the attack on the Islamic Republic and urged Tehran to return to diplomacy, saying that 'we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict.' The Iranian foreign minister said that Tehran does not believe the US claims that it wasn't involved in the Israeli aggression. 'We have evidence to the contrary,' he stressed.
Malay Mail
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Iraq appeals to US, Iran to keep conflict from spreading to its territory
BAGHDAD, June 15 — Iraq has approached the Iranian and US governments in a bid to prevent being caught up in a regional escalation, officials said yesterday, as Washington's ally Israel and Iran traded blows. The government in Baghdad is a close ally of Tehran, but also a strategic partner of Iran's arch-foe the United States, which has some 2,500 troops in Iraq as part of an anti-jihadist coalition. The government in a statement late Saturday said that it 'reiterates its firm and unequivocal rejection of any violation of Iraqi airspace or its use in military attacks carried out by the Zionist entity against the Islamic Republic of Iran'. It called on the United States to 'uphold its responsibilities... to prevent aircraft belonging to the Zionist entity from once again breaching Iraqi airspace to carry out such attacks'. A senior Iraqi security official told AFP that Baghdad had also asked Tehran not to strike US targets in its territory. 'The request was made. They promised us positive things,' the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. An Iraqi government official, who also requested anonymity, said Baghdad had made an official request to Washington to help preserve the integrity of its airspace, citing the United States' role as the leader of the international coalition against the Islamic State group. Baghdad on Friday lodged a complaint with the United Nations over Israel's use of its airspace to attack Iran. Before the current escalation, which began early Friday with a series of Israeli attacks on military and nuclear sites in Iran, Tehran had threatened to strike military bases hosting US forces in the region in the event of any conflict should nuclear talks with Washington fail. Throughout the Gaza war, which began in October 2023 and has pitted Israel against the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas, Tehran-aligned armed factions have launched dozens of rocket and drone attacks targeting US forces in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. Before Israel's wave of attacks on Iran began, the United States on Wednesday announced it was reducing staffing at its Baghdad embassy, citing security reasons. Several pro-Iran groups in Iraq called on Friday for the accelerated departure of US forces from the country, with the powerful Kataeb Hezbollah warning of 'additional wars in the region'. — AFP
