LEADING Jewish groups tonight demanded Jeremy Corbyn renounce his defence of
terror group Hamas’s fight for Israel to be “obliterated”.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and Middle East think tank BICOM reacted
with fury after The Sun unearthed explosive comments the Labour leader made
in 2006 following Hamas’s shock election victory in Palestinian
elections.
With Labour engulfed in an anti-Semitism crisis, Mr Corbyn desperately tried
to distance himself from Hamas as David Cameron used Prime Minister’s
questions to attack his previous description of the militants as “friends”.
But The Sun can reveal Mr Corbyn used an article in Communist newspaper
Morning Star to defend elements of the Hamas constitution – described as a
“horrific anti-Semitic document that calls repeatedly for the violent
destruction of Israel”.
In 2006, he backed their claims to Israeli land as he wrote: “Hamas won the
election both in the popular vote and constituency sections.
“It is a result that must be respected.
“However, the US and some of the European leaders seem to have some problem
recognising this.
“Without any sense of irony, they have united in demanding that Hamas change
its constitution and relinquish all claims to Israel.”
Our revelation sparked an outcry in the Jewish community because Hamas’s
constitution – once branded “a modern day Mein Kampf” – calls for jihad
against Jews which it claims have hoarded money, taken control of the global
media and were even behind world wars to further their own interests.
Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “In
2006, any affront that Mr Corbyn felt about the fact that western nations
had called upon Hamas to change its constitution was badly misplaced.
“Hamas’s charter calls for the creation of an Islamist state in place of
Israel, claims there is no solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict ‘except
through Jihad’ and references the notorious Tsarist forgery, the Protocols
of the Elders of Zion.
“As Jeremy Corbyn has recently repeated that he abhors racism he should
condemn this anti-Semitic charter.”
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BICOM chief executive James Sorene said: “The Hamas constitution is a horrific
anti-Semitic document that calls repeatedly for the violent destruction of
Israel, glorifies violence and incites hatred against Jews on every page.
“It’s staggering that anyone would defend a single sentence of this vile
racist document that has radicalised so many Palestinians and caused so much
death, destruction and suffering in Israel and the Palestinian Authority.”
Tory MP Oliver Dowden MP added: “These comments are extraordinary.
“Hamas’s constitution explicitly talks about ‘killing the Jews’ and
‘obliterating’ Israel but the leader of the Labour Party went
out of his way to defend it.
“Jeremy Corbyn will have no credibility in dealing with Labour’s anti-Semitism
problem until he admits his own failings and apologises for his support for
these disgraceful organisations.”
In response Mr Corbyn’s spokesman said: “We don’t comment on historic matters.”
But a source close to the Labour leader insisted the comments were “not a
defence of the Hamas constitution” and referred to “conflicting
territorial claims”.
The new row came as Labour’s anti-Semitism crisis significantly deepened, with
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis saying the party has a “severe” problem and
Labour MP Louise Ellman admitting it was “very serious”.
At Prime Minister’s questions, Mr Cameron called four times for Mr Corbyn to
withdraw his description of Hamas and Hezbollah as “friends”.
In extraordinary scenes, the PM raged: “Are they your friends or are they not?
“Because these organisations in their constitutions believe in
persecuting and killing Jews.
“They are anti-Semitic organisations, they are racist organisations.”
Mr Corbyn refused to withdraw the description, but eventually said:
“Obviously, anyone who commits racist acts or is anti-Semitic is not a
friend of mine. I am very clear about that.”
He insisted he had been trying to promote the peace process in the Middle
East, adding: “I absolutely do not approve of those organisations.”
Lines from the Hamas constitution
“Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it,
just as it obliterated others before it.”
“The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews
(killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees.”
“With their money, they took control of the world media, news agencies, the
press, publishing houses, broadcasting stations, and others.
“With their money they stirred revolutions in various parts of the world with
the purpose of achieving their interests and reaping the fruit therein.
“They were behind the French Revolution, the Communist revolution and most of
the revolutions we heard and hear about, here and there.
“With their money they formed secret societies, such as Freemasons, Rotary
Clubs, the Lions and others in different parts of the world for the purpose
of sabotaging societies and achieving Zionist interests.”
“They were behind World War I, when they were able to destroy the Islamic
Caliphate, making financial gains and controlling resources.
“They obtained the Balfour Declaration, formed the League of Nations through
which they could rule the world.
“They were behind World War II, through which they made huge financial gains
by trading in armaments, and paved the way for the establishment of their
state.
“It was they who instigated the replacement of the League of Nations with the
United Nations and the Security Council to enable them to rule the world
through them.
“There is no war going on anywhere, without having their finger in it.”
“The Zionist plan is limitless.
“After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the
Euphrates.
“When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to
further expansion, and so on.”