Democratic Socialists of America Host Former UK Labour Leader Corbyn at Annual Convention
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by Benjamin Kerstein

British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers the keynote speech at a Labour conference in Liverpool, Britain, Sept. 26, 2016. Photo: Reuters / Phil Noble.
The Democratic Socialists of America hosted former UK Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn on Saturday at their annual convention.
During his tenure as head of Labour, Corbyn fostered an atmosphere of systemic antisemitism, including animus toward Israel, antisemitic conspiracy theories, harassment of Jewish members, and his own claim that “Zionists” were un-British. Several Jewish and non-Jewish Labour MPs quit the party and denounced his leadership.
The UK Jewish community, large numbers of which said they would consider emigrating if Corbyn became prime minister, undertook a concerted campaign against him and his allies, and he was eventually routed in the 2019 election by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and resigned as party leader.
During the DSA convention, held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, Corbyn mentioned the Israeli-Palestinian conflict only once, noting that his new Project for Peace & Justice had “mobilized for solidarity with the people of Palestine during the bombing of Gaza,” an apparent reference to Israel’s 11-day war with the Hamas terrorist group in May.
Corbyn also presented a vague conspiracy theory to participants, saying, “The richest and most powerful are organized across the world. We need to be not as organized as them, but better organized than them.”
He also mused on “climate emergency, the threat of militarism, and a new great power game.”
Other speakers at the convention included US Democrats Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI) and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY), as well as actress Cynthia Nixon of “Sex and the City” fame and India Walton, the Democratic nominee in Buffalo’s 2021 mayoral race.
Hakeem Jeffries Announces He Will Not House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has come out against a bid to cut off US military aid to Israel, while calling for a “major reset” of Washington’s relationship with the Jewish state. In a “Dear Colleague” letter to fellow Democrats on Tuesday, Jeffries said he would vote against an amendment led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), and co-sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), that would strip roughly $3.3 billion in annual military financing for Israel — while preserving $500 million for missile-defense programs such as Iron Dome — from the fiscal 2027 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act. The House could vote on the measure as early as this week. Aligning himself with the ranking Democrats on the Appropriations and Foreign Affairs committees, Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY), as well as the advocacy group J Street, Jeffries called the proposal too sweeping. “As written, it is overly broad in that it prohibits or would limit the use of funds for longstanding initiatives related to humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement, peace-building and US Embassy operations,” he wrote, adding that the “so-called Massie amendment” would restrict US efforts to confront Hamas, Hezbollah “and other terrorist organizations in the region who are sworn enemies of both the United States and Israel.” Citing deep divisions within the party over Israel, Jeffries said leadership would not pressure members to follow his lead. “There are good faith reasons that will result in Members voting in a variety of different ways with respect to the amendment,” he wrote, noting that the caucus was not whipping the vote. At the same time, Jeffries argued that US policy toward the region “must change,” tying his call for a “major reset” to criticism of what he termed the “far-right Netanyahu government.” He wrote that America’s commitment to “Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state and homeland for the Jewish people must remain ironclad,” while urging strong US support for the creation of an independent Palestinian state. Israeli governments have long rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state along Israel’s borders, warning that it would pose an existential security threat and leave major population centers exposed to attack. Jeffries also said Gaza must undergo “complete reconstruction and modernization” and that “Hamas must be disarmed and removed from power.” Jeffries further signaled that the next US-Israel aid agreement should require Israel to cover more of its own defense costs. The current 10-year memorandum of understanding, signed under President Barack Obama in 2016, provides Israel about $3.8 billion annually — $3.3 billion in military financing and $500 million for missile defense — and expires in 2028. “Israel has an advanced economy and is capable of paying for its own sophisticated weapons, as the Prime Minister recently acknowledged,” Jeffries wrote, adding that any future arrangement should mirror US defense agreements with other Western allies and “strictly adhere to our human rights laws and values.” His stance placed him between the two poles of a party increasingly split over Israel. Hours after his letter circulated, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), sent a competing letter urging Democrats to back the Massie amendment, and progressives including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said they would vote to cut the aid. Support for Israel among Democratic voters has fallen sharply during the war in Gaza. An Associated Press-NORC poll conducted in June found that 52 percent of Democrats say Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians, while a Pew Research Center survey found that roughly 80 percent of Democrats hold a negative view of Israel. In April, a majority of Senate Democrats — 40 of the caucus’s 47 members — voted for at least one of two resolutions to block certain arms sales to Israel, though the measures failed. Supporters of continued assistance say it preserves Israel’s qualitative military edge and bolsters a key US partner against Iran-backed groups, while critics want aid conditioned on Israeli policy changes, particularly over the conduct of the war in Gaza. The upcoming vote is expected to underscore the widening gap between the party’s pro-Israel wing and its growing bloc of aid critics. for Amendment to Strip Israel Aid
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Marco Rubio Vows to ‘Dismantle’ ICC, Blasting Controversial Court for ‘Waging War’ Against US
Israel Confirms Participation in 2027 Eurovision Song Contest in Bulgaria
Is Belief in God Irrational?
Irish Music, Arts and Wellness Festival Bans Current or Former IDF Soldiers
Cold-Blooded Murderer Is Praised as a Hero By Palestinian Leaders and Media



