{"id":241569,"date":"2016-05-04T13:24:46","date_gmt":"2016-05-04T13:24:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/newswire\/uks-chief-rabbi-accuses-labour-of-severe-anti-semitism-norman-finkelstein-dismisses-it\/"},"modified":"2016-05-04T13:24:46","modified_gmt":"2016-05-04T13:24:46","slug":"uks-chief-rabbi-accuses-labour-of-severe-anti-semitism-norman-finkelstein-dismisses-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/newswire\/uks-chief-rabbi-accuses-labour-of-severe-anti-semitism-norman-finkelstein-dismisses-it\/","title":{"rendered":"UK\u2019s chief rabbi accuses Labour of \u2018severe\u2019 anti-Semitism, Norman Finkelstein dismisses it"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

The UK\u2019s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has accused individuals in Labour of spreading the \u201cinsidious virus of anti-Semitism\u201d but political scientist Norman Finkelstein believes certain members of the party are exaggerating the crisis for political gain.<\/p>\n

\n

Finkelstein first published the map at the center of the ongoing \u2018anti-Semitism\u2019 row and has since defended the suspended MP Naz Shah for sharing it on Facebook.<\/p>\n

Finkelstein, a Jewish professor and author whose parents survived concentration camps during the Holocaust, claimed to have published the map entitled \u201cSolution for the Israel-Palestine conflict – relocate Israel into United States\u201d<\/em> on his blog in 2014.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Israeli Labor considers break with UK party over anti-Semitism, despite own accusations of racism<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The image was then shared on Facebook by Shah before she became Labour MP for Bradford West in 2014. But that was enough to get her suspended from the party just last week when it came to light.<\/p>\n

The professor said the original post was \u201cfunny\u201d<\/em> and said it was \u201cobscene\u201d<\/em> for Shah to be compared to Adolf Eichmann by her colleague John Mann. In an interview with Open Democracy<\/a>, he said politicians were \u201cjostling for power and position\u201d<\/em> in the anti-Semitism row.<\/p>\n

Finkelstein said: \u201cAll these desiccated Labour apparatchiks, dragging the Nazi Holocaust through the mud for the sake of their petty jostling for power and position. Have they no shame?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Rabbi Mirvis said he was astonished to see figures on the \u201chard Left\u201d<\/em> defining the relationship between Judaism and Zionism. He also warned that \u201cthere must be no place for anti-Semitism in our politics\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJews are frequently compared to the proverbial \u2018canary in the coal mine\u2019, an enduring signal for when the world is failing to meet its obligations in tackling bigotry,\u201d<\/em> he wrote in an article for the Telegraph<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The latest developments come after two more Labour councillors, Miqdad Al-Nuaimi and Terry Kelly, were reportedly suspended from the party for alleged anti-Semitic remarks.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Labour’s suspension of Newport councillor @mndsc06<\/a> appears to relate to tweets from last year in which he compared Israeli regime to Nazis.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Kevin Ward (@ArgusKevinWard) May 4, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Renfrewshire Labour councillor Terry Kelly has been suspended from the party pending investigation into alleged anti-Semitic remarks #sp15<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Libby Brooks (@libby_brooks) May 4, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron seized on the controversy and launched a scathing attack on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during \u2018Prime Minister\u2019s Questions\u2019 Wednesday.<\/p>\n

He reminded Corbyn of his previous description of Hamas and Hezbollah members as his \u201cfriends\u201d<\/em> and called on him to distance himself from that remark. Corbyn responded \u201cI absolutely do not approve of those organizations.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/strong>The war of words continued the day before the London mayoral elections where Labour\u2019s Sadiq Khan goes head-to-head with Conservative politician Zac Goldsmith, who has been accused by Muslim groups of stirring up racial tensions by stressing Khan\u2019s Islamic background.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Corbyn asked six questions about poverty and got six answers about how Sadiq Khan being a terrorist. What a disgraceful smear. #PMQs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) May 4, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

“You’re anti-Semitic!”
“You’re Islamophobic!”
x6 #pmqs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) May 4, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

If only we got principled debates about racism, smears and anti-semitism when there isn’t an election about to happen. #PMQs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Krishnan Guru-Murthy (@krishgm) May 4, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Cameron also accused Khan of sharing a platform with anti-Semitic people and hate preachers in reference to Suliman Gani, who the prime minister previously said backed Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS\/ISIL), but turned out to be a Conservative supporter. Corbyn labeled it a \u201csmear\u201d<\/em> campaign.<\/p>\n

In the midst of the heated exchange in the House of Commons, Corbyn maintained that \u201canti-Semitism has no place in our society whatsoever,\u201d<\/em> and sent his \u201cbest wishes\u201d<\/em> to those commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: MPs brand Cameron \u2018racist\u2019 after PM claims London mayor candidate \u2018shared stage with pro-ISIS imam\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Via RT<\/a>. This piece was reprinted by RINF Alternative News<\/a> with permission or license.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The UK\u2019s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has accused individuals in Labour of spreading the \u201cinsidious virus of anti-Semitism\u201d but political scientist Norman Finkelstein believes certain members of the party are exaggerating the crisis for political gain. Finkelstein first published the map at the center of the ongoing \u2018anti-Semitism\u2019 row and has since defended the suspended […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":241570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[519],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-241569","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-newswire"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}