British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Friday that a government under his leadership would recognize a Palestinian state “very early on” and push hard for a political solution to the Syrian civil war.
Corbyn spoke during his first international trip outside Europe since he was elected Labor Party leader in 2015.
Jeremy Corbyn vows that a Labour government under His leadership will recognise a Palestinian state #ToriesOut https://t.co/TGQcZIkxUw
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) June 22, 2018
On Friday, he toured Zaatari, Jordan’s largest camp for Syrian refugees. On Saturday, he visited a decades-old camp for Palestinians displaced by Arab-Israeli wars.
Labor under Corbyn gained parliament seats but narrowly lost to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party in 2017 snap elections.
When Theresa May called the General Elections.150,000 people joined labour because they believe in Jeremy Corbyn's leadership & vision of Uk pic.twitter.com/9ffBKIYzLG
— Nadeem Ahmed (@Muqadaam) September 7, 2017
Opinion polling suggests the two parties are neck and neck. Britain is not scheduled to have another election until 2022, but there could be an early vote if May’s fragile minority government suffers a major defeat in Parliament.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said a government under his leadership would recognise a Palestinian state “very early on” and push hard for a political solution to the Syrian war. https://t.co/3iUjy0R6Yn pic.twitter.com/F7agdMSZsc
— 5Pillars (@5Pillarsuk) June 23, 2018
With his visit to Jordan, Corbyn appeared to be burnishing his foreign policy credentials.
Taking questions from reporters in the Zaatari market, he said that a Labor government would “work very, very hard to regenerate the peace process” in Syria.
Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Corbyn said the Trump administration’s decision to recognize contested Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US Embassy was a “catastrophic mistake.”
#Breaking#Corbyn: Labour government would quickly recognize #PalestineBritish opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is visiting camps for #Syrian and #Palestinian #refugees, said that a government under his leadership would recognize a #Palestinian state "very early on." pic.twitter.com/z8y2znpdVL
— Shehab News (@ShehabAgencyEn) June 23, 2018
The Palestinians seek to establish a state in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in 1967.
He said:
“I think there has to be a recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people to their own state which we as a Labor Party said we would recognize in government as a full state, as part of the United Nations.”
Such recognition would come “very early on” under a Labor government, he added.
#Corbyn says Palestinian state would be recognized by #Labor government https://t.co/3qSZF56kA6 pic.twitter.com/bwWweAG1qa
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 23, 2018
Since Corbyn’s election as Labor leader, allegations of anti-Semitism in the party have grown. Some in the party have claimed that Corbyn, a long-time critic of Israeli violations against the Palestinians, has allowed abuse to go unchecked.
TONY Blair has accused Jeremy Corbyn of failing to understand Anti Semitism. Meanwhile here is Jeremy Corbyn on Anti Semitism. Don’t forget to hit retweet. #EnoughIsEnough pic.twitter.com/mvwDfyC7go
— Nadeem Ahmed (@Muqadaam) March 27, 2018
Asked to respond, Corbyn said Friday that “there is no place whatsoever for anti-Semitism in our society.”
(Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, PC, Social Media)
