When Jews Attack 465 – Victim – Jeremy Corbyn – Attackers – Board Of Deputies Of British Jews

Jeremy Corbyn must publicly reject Hamas and Hezbollah to win back trust in the Jewish community angered by his “very hostile” views on Israel, according to the head of the body that represents British Jews.

Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies, said Mr Corbyn’s links to Holocaust deniers and anti-Semites have caused “very deep concerns” among Jews that must urgently be addressed.

He told The Telegraph that the Labour leadership front-runner would not be taken seriously unless started giving “straight answers to straight questions” on his links to extremists.

Mr Arkush also said he would demand an immediate meeting with Mr Corbyn if he wins the leadership on September 12 to seek reassurances over his stance towards Israel.

Labour leadership hustingsJeremy Corbyn is not averse to a selfie Photo: LNP

The intervention is the first time Mr Arkush has spoken at length about Mr Corbyn since joined the leadership race and will increase pressure on him to take a tougher line on extremists he has appeared alongside in the past.

Since running for leader Mr Corbyn has had to distance himself from a series of anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers he shared a platform with during his years as a backbencher and anti-war campaigner.

Among the figures he has been linked with are Paul Eisen, a Holocaust denier, Raed Salah, who has been accused of “virulent anti-Semitism”, and the Muslim extremist Dyab Abou Jahjah.

Jeremy Corbyn is greeted by fellow candidates Andy Burnham and Liz Kendall Photo: GETTY

Mr Corbyn also once introduced members of Hamas and Hezbollah – terrorist bodies according to the United States – as “friends”. He says this was “diplomatic language in the context of dialogue”.

Speaking to this newspaper with Mr Corbyn widely tipped to win on September 12, Mr Arkush said he would confront the Islington North MP about his links should he become leader.

“The Jewish community has some very deep concerns about the reported links to a Holocaust denier and anti-Semite. Of course his views are very hostile to Israel,” Mr Arkush said

“But the Jewish community was also very concerned about his seeming partiality towards Hamas and Hezbollah, which are both proscribed terrorist organisations.”

He added: “Any British politician in a senior capacity will not be taken seriously if he has any partiality towards terrorist organisations.”

Mr Arkush, a lawyer elected as president of the Board of Deputies in May, pledged to demand an urgent meeting with Mr Corbyn if he wins the contest.

He said the concerns over Mr Corbyn’s stance towards Israel were “not at all exaggerated” and “held by a very, very wide consensus of the community”.

A recent poll in the Jewish Chronicle found that almost seven in 10 British Jews are concerned about the prospect of Mr Corbyn becoming Labour leader.

Asked how Mr Corbyn could win back Jewish communities, Mr Arkush said: “By giving clear, straight answers to straight questions and repudiating any sort of support for or links to anti-Semites, racists, terrorists bodies, people for whom I would expect any serious British UK politicians would want to maintain a great distance.”

Mr Corbyn recently responded to criticism of his links, saying: “My views are that the Holocaust was the most disgraceful and vile process of the history of the 20th century, if not the wider world and that has to be understood by successive generations and it has to be understood by all our children in schools. That surely is important.”

He added: “The idea that I’m some kind of racist or anti-Semitic person is beyond appalling, disgusting and deeply offensive. I have spent my life opposing racism. Until my dying day I will be opposed to racism in any form.”