A culture of growing anti-Semitic expression and hostility toward Zionists and Israel among British Labour Party members has come to light over the past few days. The most recent party members to join this defamation campaign are aiming to uproot the State of Israel (MP Naz Shah) and to present Adolf Hitler as a supporter of Zionism (former London Mayor Ken Livingstone). It is true that Europe is critical and is losing faith that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to achieve a "two states for two nations" solution -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed this in a leak to newspaper Der Spiegel, as did French President Francois Hollande with his international peace conference initiative -- but this does not even come close to the delegitimization campaign carried out by a growing extremist branch within the Labour Party. The mention of Hitler as "the greatest man in history" and a "Zionist God" on the part of Labour representatives is not just a reflection of ignorance. What exactly did Livingstone find so friendly about such an evil man? Perhaps it was his dispossession campaign against German Jews that allowed them to keep a tiny bit of their property in exchange for their emigration to British Mandate Palestine under the terms of the Haavara Agreement. These comments are part of the greater political-historical effort on the part of Holocaust deniers to belittle the Nazi horrors inflicted upon the Jewish people. Israel's detractors work in three ways: Outright Holocaust denial, which, for the time being, is unsuccessful; blurring the polar opposition between the Jews and the Nazis by way of finding fleeting points of overlapping interest between them prior to the war, such as the Haavara Agreement; and attempting to draw a comparison between how Israel treats the Palestinians and Hitler's Germany. Such positions were once unacceptable. Europe's attitude toward Israel and the election of Jeremy Corbyn, who supported the boycott of Israel, as Labour leader have given anti-Semites the opportunity to rear its head. Corbyn condemns them and suspends them, going through the motions mostly out of concern that his party will lose the remainder of its support among Britain's center. Why is this happening in the Labour Party? It is really no surprise. Labour has always been hesitant when it comes to Israel. The main supporters of the Jewish people's return to the land of the Bible have typically been Conservatives, from Arthur James Balfour 99 years ago to Winston Churchill, and now current British Prime Minister David Cameron. In contrast, Labour has always been cold, excepting its support for the transfer of Arabs from the land that would become Israel in 1944. Labour fought aggressively against the immigration of Holocaust survivors to Israel and opposed Israel's inception. British foreign secretary at the time, Ernest Bevin, is remembered unkindly for this. The current goings-on fit right in with Labour's historical behavior. These recent anti-Semitic remarks also have to do with cynical considerations regarding the growing share of the Muslim vote in the parliamentary elections. No one knows when the elections will take place as the referendum over the possible exit of Britain from the European Union looms over Cameron, but they may be moved up. The condemnation of anti-Semitism is not the end of the story. The Blitz over London's heart is at its height.
