Jeremy Corbyn embraced cleric found by British court to have issued the anti-Semitic blood libel

Jeremy Corbyn was filmed shaking hands with Raed Salah (right) 
Jeremy Corbyn was filmed shaking hands with Raed Salah (right) 

Jeremy Corbyn embraced an Islamic cleric after he was found by a British court to have issued the anti-Semitic blood libel, it emerged on Thursday.

Footage unearthed online from 2012 shows that Mr Corbyn shook hands with Sheikh Raed Salah at a press conference just two months after an immigration tribunal said that comments he had made in 2007 could not be considered “anything other than a reference to the blood libel against Jews.” 

The blood libel is a historic trope dating back to Medieval times, which alleges that Jews murder children to use their blood during religious rituals. 

Mr Corbyn attended the event after a deportation order issued against Salah by Theresa May, the then Home Secretary, was quashed by a hearing of the Upper Tribunal. 

The Labour leader, then a backbench MP, had become involved in the case after inviting the cleric, who had previously been jailed in Israel, to speak at an event in the House of Commons. 

However, the footage appears to undermine Mr Corbyn’s claims, made in 2015 amid a mounting backlash over his association with the Sheikh, that he had been unaware of Salah’s prior convictions in Israel. 

Footage unearthed online today showed Mr Corbyn shaking hands with Raed Salah at a 2012 press conference
Footage unearthed online today showed Mr Corbyn shaking hands with Raed Salah at a 2012 press conference Credit: Iggy Ostanin

During the video, the Labour leader is seen taking part in a panel discussion alongside Salah’s head of legal counsel, Tayab Ali, who acknowledged that the allegation of the blood libel had been considered by the court when considering his appeal. 

The allegation related to a speech made by Salah in Jerusalem in 2007, in which, according to the court documents, he stated: “We are not a nation that is based on values of vengeance. We have never allowed ourselves, and listen carefully; we have never allowed ourselves to knead the bread for the breaking [of] fasting during the blessed month of Ramadan with the blood of the children. 

“And if someone wants a wider explanation, then he should ask what used to happen to some of the children of Europe, when their blood used to be mixed in the dough of the holy bread.” 

Mr Ali also said that “two Israeli police indictments” against Salah had been identified by Mrs May’s legal team as part of the “Government’s list of unacceptable behaviours”. 

However, speaking after Mr Ali, Mr Corbyn opened his remarks by stating “how nice it is to be in a normal room with Sheikh Raed Salah”, before going on to claim: “He is not a dangerous man, he is a very honoured citizen”. 

Later, following the press conference, Mr Corbyn was filmed smiling and placing both hands on Salah’s shoulder before shaking hands with him. 

Commenting on the footage, Jonathan Goldstein, the chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, said: “The argument from Jeremy Corbyn that he was unaware of the blood libel slur is simply not believable.”

A Labour Party spokesperson said:"There was widespread criticism of the attempt to deport Raed Salah in Israel and in Britain, including from Jews for Justice for Palestinians and parliamentarians from different political backgrounds, and his appeal against deportation succeeded on all grounds.

"Blood libel is a despicable antisemitic slur, which Jeremy wholly condemns."

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