Theresa May Lauds Israel, Slams BDS, and Calls Out Labour's 'Blind Eye to anti-Semitism'
During an address to her Conservative Party’s Friends of Israel, British Prime Minister Theresa May played to the crowd: She lauded Israel as “a beacon of tolerance,” rebutted the “wrong” and “unacceptable” BDS movement, dug into the opposition Labour Party and its leader Jeremy Corbyn, and hailed the 99 year-old Balfour Declaration, a key moment in the establishment of a Jewish homeland, as “one of the most important letters in history.” Israel, she said, was a “crucial” element of its post-Brexit world stage, then hailed next year’s anniversary of the Balfour Declaration as a time to mark “with pride.” Then, she received a standing ovation.
May, who became the British Prime Minister in July, also announced that Britain would be adopting a new definition of antisemitism, as outlined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”