Analysis
Benjamin Netanyahu's tweet criticising Jeremy Corbyn was a one-off – for now
The Israeli PM's support of British Jewry will remain mostly silent, writes Anshel Pfeffer
August 14, 2018 16:33
2 min read
The Israeli PM's support of British Jewry will remain mostly silent, writes Anshel Pfeffer
August 14, 2018 16:33The question of how to engage with Jeremy Corbyn has been a minor headache for Israeli foreign policy since the Labour leader’s surprise election three years ago.
Historically, the Israeli government has had healthy relations with the party but Mr Corbyn, who in the past had been associated with the most radical elements of the anti-Israel camp, was always going to be a different proposition.
Nevertheless, the initial approach was to engage based on his present actions and statements, not his past.
Many politicians with a record of radicalism have turned out very differently upon achieving national office.
Not long before Mr Corbyn’s victory, the far-left Syriza Party had come to power in Greece, and despite initial fears, its prime minister Alexis Tsipras had been eager to deal with the Israeli government, including frequent summit meetings with Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel-Greece relations have since reached unprecedented heights.
But Mr Corbyn showed no inclination to engage. Even the simple act of scheduling a meeting between him and new Ambassador Mark Regev proved to be a months-long exercise in complex diplomacy. The meeting, when it finally took place, was short and frosty.
Ever since, the de-facto policy has been to continue engaging with Labour at various levels, including with Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry – who visited Israel recently and attended the festive dinner last November celebrating the Balfour Declaration centenary after Mr Corbyn turned down his invitation – and by and large to ignore the leader’s office.
As the serial antisemitism crises roiled Labour, it was thought in Jerusalem that it would be better to leave the matter to the Jewish community’s leadership and not muddy the waters any further. Mr Regev issued the occasional statement of support for the community, but Jerusalem remained silent.
As one aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Corbyn is not the prime minister, just another party leader. So why should Netanyahu descend to his level?”
But in recent days, as the ongoing crisis over the IHRA definitions and new revelations of Mr Corbyn’s past statements and associations came to light, the Israeli media finally began taking him seriously.
And when the reports of his having laid a wreath by the grave of the planner of the Munich Olympics massacre emerged, it was no longer possible to ignore.
The politician who built his entire career on being tough on terror simply could not leave the limelight to Israeli Labour Leader Avi Gabbay, who already announced four months ago that the party is cutting off all relations with Mr Corbyn.
Officials in Jerusalem were at pains to say on Tuesday morning that Mr Netanyahu’s tweet lambasting the Labour leader for laying the wreath and comparing Israel to the Nazis was a one-off. “The Munich Massacre is a visceral matter for Netanyahu, and for Israelis, to which we had to respond,” one said.
As far as the daily confrontation between Mr Corbyn and British Jews is concerned, the Israeli government is still committed to silent support. That will remain the policy until the day they may have to deal with Prime Minister Corbyn.
