Israel's Labor party has temporarily suspended ties with its British counterpart, citing U.K. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's failure to eradicate anti-Semitism in the party.
The relationship between the two sister parties has deteriorated in the wake of Corbyn's surprise election in 2015, which came after decades on the left-wing fringes of the party. Corbyn has repeatedly faced accusations of turning a blind eye to anti-Semitism in Labour and among groups he supports.
In a letter to Corbyn, Labor leader Avi Gabbay said, "It is my responsibility to acknowledge the hostility you have shown to the Jewish community and the anti-Semitic statements and actions you, as leader of the Labour party in the U.K., have allowed.
"You are not fulfilling your role in curbing anti-Semitism around you, and your public statements carry a load of hatred toward Israel," Gabbay wrote.
He further accused Corbyn of crossing "a dangerous line" between legitimate criticism of Israeli policy and anti-Semitism, saying the latter has expressed "very public hatred of the policies of the Israeli government, many of which regard the security of our citizens and actions of our soldiers – policies on which the opposition and coalition in Israel are aligned."
The Israeli Labor leader lauded his party's "long history of friendship" with Britain's Labour, saying that circumstances mandate a "temporary suspension of all formal relations" between the two parties, as ties cannot continue "while you fail to adequately address the anti-Semitism in the Labour party.
"I have informed all Labor staff in Israel, its Knesset members and elected leaders of the suspension of ties with your office," Gabbay continued. "I have asked the international secretary of the Israeli Labor party to update me quarterly on this situation and should this suspension change, you will be updated accordingly."
