Living overseas, I have really struggled to understand this trainwreck that's played out over a couple of years.
All the bits I've seen suggests that it's just another iteration of criticism of Israel's actions and its policies - or failure to engage in full-throated support of Israel's actions and its policies - being deflected by tossing out anti-Semitism as the motivation.
But even after Labour signed up in full to the UNHRC statement (which I consider to be a worryingly censorious doctrine provoking genuine concern that doesn't automatically indicate any degree of hatred for Jews whatsoever), they still haven't managed to shake this off.
Now a bunch of Labour MP's have quit (some who are on record being critical of Israel's policies), partly due to Labour's stance on Brexit, but also citing anti-Semitism, so I am beginning to think there must be more components to this than I am aware of.
I know Corbyn spoke at an event which also included a guy who'd made Holocaust Denial statements, and there's the painting which included dog-whistle imagery of Jewish bankers. Both of these seem easily explicable without considering the leader of a major British party to be a closet racist. At worse, the latter may indicate some kind of implicit bias Corbyn's unaware of, but which isn't necessarily overt or translatable into policy.
I also wonder how one of the departing MP's can consider their ex-party anti-Semitic when they are themselves Jewish - surely institutional anti-Semitism would have meant they'd never have had the support of the party in the first place?
I just can't get my head round this at all being so far removed from it. Anyone been following this closely enough to offer me some enlightenment?
All the bits I've seen suggests that it's just another iteration of criticism of Israel's actions and its policies - or failure to engage in full-throated support of Israel's actions and its policies - being deflected by tossing out anti-Semitism as the motivation.
But even after Labour signed up in full to the UNHRC statement (which I consider to be a worryingly censorious doctrine provoking genuine concern that doesn't automatically indicate any degree of hatred for Jews whatsoever), they still haven't managed to shake this off.
Now a bunch of Labour MP's have quit (some who are on record being critical of Israel's policies), partly due to Labour's stance on Brexit, but also citing anti-Semitism, so I am beginning to think there must be more components to this than I am aware of.
I know Corbyn spoke at an event which also included a guy who'd made Holocaust Denial statements, and there's the painting which included dog-whistle imagery of Jewish bankers. Both of these seem easily explicable without considering the leader of a major British party to be a closet racist. At worse, the latter may indicate some kind of implicit bias Corbyn's unaware of, but which isn't necessarily overt or translatable into policy.
I also wonder how one of the departing MP's can consider their ex-party anti-Semitic when they are themselves Jewish - surely institutional anti-Semitism would have meant they'd never have had the support of the party in the first place?
I just can't get my head round this at all being so far removed from it. Anyone been following this closely enough to offer me some enlightenment?