Britain's opposition Labour party adopted an internationally accepted definition of anti-Semitism on Tuesday, trying to defuse a row that has heaped pressure on its leader at a time when the government is struggling over Brexit.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran campaigner for Palestinian rights, has been criticized by members, lawmakers and Jewish leaders for not fully adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism.
He has promised to drive anti-Semitism out of Labour, but the pledges have done little to quieten his detractors, with some suggesting he step down for what they describe as his failure to tackle anti-Semitism in the party.
Speaking before the leadership ahead of the vote, Corbyn called on members to adopt the full IHRA definition. Corbyn expressed solidarity with the Jewish community but stressed the necessity of protecting the rights of the Palestinians. Following the vote, Corbyn made no public statements and refused to comply with a demand by Jewish community leaders that he issue a statement condemning anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.
Tuesday's move may still not satisfy all Corbyn's critics after Labour said it also backed a statement that adopting the definition "will not in any way undermine freedom of expression on Israel or the rights of Palestinians."
Gideon Falter, chairman of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said the statement was an "attempt to undermine the definition's validity, despite its adoption around the world and the fact that the definition is already heavily caveated."
Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson said he hoped the vote would allow the party to rebuild bridges with Britain's Jewish community, which has been pulling back from Labour over increased anti-Semitism in the party ranks and the leadership's failure to address it.
As the leadership convened on Tuesday, two groups gathered at the party headquarters to hold opposing demonstrations. The larger group of Corbyn supporters – including members of the anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox Neturei Karta sect, who waved Palestinian flags – held up signs objecting to the party adopting the full definition of anti-Semitism and in support of the BDS movement, which seeks to isolate Israel internationally.
The second group, which comprised supporters of Israel, stressed that Corbyn and the Labour Party would not define anti-Semitism to Jews.
On Wednesday, the Labour Party faction was scheduled to hold its first meeting after the summer recess. The agenda calls for a discussion of the problem of anti-Semitism in the party.
In related news, the London-based talk radio station LBC reported that Scotland Yard had opened a probe into a leaked Labour Party file on expressions of anti-Semitism by party members to see if they met the criteria of hate crimes.
