Jeremy Corbyn accused Israel of ‘genocide’ in front of what appears to be a Hamas flag at an anti-Israel rally, it emerged yesterday.
The Labour leader was recorded at the 2014 protest close to the Israeli embassy in Kensington, West London, saying, ‘This is an occupation, this is a genocidal attack on Palestinian people.’
The Israel Advocacy Movement tweeted a link to the footage, captioning it: ‘Jeremy Corbyn stands in front of a Hamas flag at an anti-Israel rally and makes the outrageous claim of an Israeli genocide against Palestinians.’
Still from Israel Advocacy Movement youtube showing Jeremy Corbyn beside Hamas flag
Labour sources said Mr Corbyn was not responsible for flags waved by other people. They said he was discussing the ‘asymmetrical nature’ of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The flag is believed to be that of Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organisation by Britain, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia and numerous other countries.
The latest revelations highlight the depth of the Labour leader’s connections with the group.
He notoriously called the organisation his ‘friends’ in 2009, something he later said that he regretted.
It also emerged yesterday that Mr Corbyn said in 2013 that British ‘Zionists’ have ‘no sense of English irony despite having lived here all their lives’ and ‘need a lesson’.
He made the comments while giving speech alongside Islamic extremists at a conference publicised by Hamas’ military wing. Jewish groups said the remarks were anti-Semitic.
The comments were made when the Labour leader was giving a speech alongside prominent British extremists, at a London conference promoted by the propaganda website of Hamas.
The Labour leader said: ‘[British Zionists] clearly have two problems. One is they don’t want to study history, and secondly, having lived in this country for a very long time, probably all their lives, they don’t understand English irony either.’
He added: ‘They needed two lessons, which we could perhaps help them with.’
Responding to the comments, Stephen Pollard, editor of the Jewish Chronicle, said: ‘This shows the reality of what Jeremy Corbyn thinks of Jews, somehow a breed apart from ‘normal’ English people.’
Mr Pollard said he believed the Labour leader ‘used the word ‘Zionist’ obviously to mean ‘Jews’.’
Jonathan Sacerdoti, a founding trustee of the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism who is now an anti-racism campaigner, added: ‘The idea that British Jews somehow haven’t absorbed British values is outrageous.
‘To doubt our Britishness because we disagree with your controversial views on Palestine, when you are the one fraternising with extremists, is deeply anti-Semitic. British Jews are right to be scared.’
Mr Corbyn has come under fire in recent weeks after it emerged that he previously invited controversial Hamas-linked speakers to an event in Parliament in 2015.
The delegation included an Islamic leader who called for attacks on the Royal Navy and another speaker who said he wanted to be a suicide bomber.
The meeting took place in the House of Lords just six months before Mr Corbyn became Labour leader.
A picture from the event shows Mr Corbyn flanked by Daud Abdullah, who called for a boycott of Holocaust Memorial Day.
It comes after last week’s revelation that Mr Corbyn met Hamas officials on a trip to Israel and the West Bank in 2010.
He faces a probe into whether he broke Parliamentary rules for not declaring the visit, which was registered by a fellow Labour MP who accompanied him.
Corbyn speaking at a rally about the Palestinian plight with a Hamas flag in the background
Labour insists that the trip was below the threshold – £660 at the time – although fellow MP Andrew Slaughter declared that his trip cost £927.
Mr Corbyn is also struggling to contain a row over his appearance at a wreath-laying ceremony in Tunis near to the graves of terrorists.
He is under fire for his response to the anti-Semitism crisis which has overshadowed what should have been a summer of campaigning for Labour.
The Labour leader is currently facing two investigations after being reported to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over two undeclared trips.
He did not record his visit to Tunis in 2014 where he was pictured with the wreath, and he also did not declare his 2010 trip to Israel and the West Bank.
The 2010 trip was organised by Middle East Monitor (MEMO), a pro-Hamas group which was also behind the meeting in Parliament with Mr Corbyn and Hamas officials.
Earlier this week, Hamas signalled its support for Mr Corbyn, although it stopped short of calling for him to be prime minister.
In a Twitter post, Hamas wrote: ‘We salute Jeremy Corbyn’s supportive positions to the Palestinians.
‘But the issue of him as a prime minister is an internal British issue and we respect the choice of the British people.’
A Labour spokesman said: ‘Jeremy Corbyn has a long and principled record of solidarity with the Palestinian people and engaging with actors in the conflict to support peace and justice in the Middle East. That is the right thing to do.’
Mr Corbyn also says in the clip from the 2014 protest: ‘Take to the streets to show our anger at the way the Palestinian people are being murdered by F16 jets and many other horrible things.’
Corbyn also encouraged people to take to the streets and show their anger at Palestinian treatment by Israel
Several thousand protesters attended the event on Kensington High Street near the Israeli Embassy on July 22, 2014.
Police closed off the High Street outside the Palace Gate private road leading to the Israeli Embassy, which is on Crown Estate land where protests are banned.
It was organised as diplomatic efforts to broker a truce in the Gaza Strip intensified as Israel continued its military operation against militants.
At the time, Israel had just launched a ground operation in Gaza following days of air strikes following rocket fire by militants into Israeli towns.
This appears to be the first known occasion when Mr Corbyn has used the word genocide in relation to Israel’s actions in Palestine.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: ‘Even the casual observer would have to see this as clear evidence as to why Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour party will never be able to deal with anti-Semitism – because he himself is an anti-Semite.’