DHAKA: Karl Marx admirer and Israel critic Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of Britain’s opposition Labor party on Saturday, while Tom Watson, known for his role in the parliamentary investigation into phone hacking by UK newspapers, won the deputy leadership contest.
Corbyn won 59.5 percent of the ballots cast, or 251,417 votes, in the leadership, winning in the first round. When the results were announced he was cheered and hugged, even by his rivals.
He defeated two former Labor ministers, Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham, as well as Liz Kendall, regarded as the heir to former Prime Minister Tony Blair, reports The Jerusalem Post.
The 66-year-old has held a pro-Palestinian stance since entering Parliament, specializing in delivering fierce and often very direct criticism of Israeli policies.
One of the popular leaders of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, his contribution to foreign affairs debates includes diatribes about the behavior of Israeli troops or abuses of Palestinian human rights.
Four years ago, he actively supported the right of Raed Salah, the leader of the Islamic Movement’s Northern Branch in Israel, to address meetings in Britain despite clear Home Office opposition.
English courts accepted that Salah had previously invoked anti-Semitic blood libel, but arrangements to deport him fell apart.
Corbyn in the past has called terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah ‘friends’. The far-leftist has also been dogged by allegations of anti-Semitism.
The British Jewish community has expressed misgivings about Corbyn.
BDST: 2150 HRS, SEPT 12, 2015
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