The British Labor Party is mending fences with Britain’s 350,000 strong Jewish community and is seeking to renew its traditional friendship with Israel’s Labor Party, strained in recent years because of the emergence of anti-Zionism in some Labor circles here. Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock spoke Tuesday night at a Labor Zionist dinner marking the 80th anniversary of the establishment of Poale Zion in Eastern Europe and the 65th anniversary of its British branch affiliation with the British Labor Party. He shared the platform with the Israeli Minister of Economic Coordination Gad Yaacobi.
Yaacobi said the growing rapprochement between the Labor movements in both countries was symbolized by their common views on terrorism. He praised the British government for its tough action against Syria, which was involved in an attempt to blow up an El Al airliner last April.
Kinnock stressed the continued need to deal with the causes of terrorism, but he spelled out a six-point plan to deal with its effects. They are: more effective coordination between national security agencies; tighter extradition laws; better cooperation between police forces; an international convention to protect travellers from hijacking and murder; exposure of the support systems and state fundings on which terrorists rely; and prevention of the abuse of diplomatic immunity.
Kinnock acknowledged that anti-Semitism still infects Europe. He said the Poale Zion’s task was to remind the Labor movement of the constant need for vigilance against it.
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