When he was running for mayor, Sadiq Khan was accused of being anti-Israel. Now, he’s being accused of being a secret servant of the Jewish state.
These new accusations began after Khan, London’s first Muslim mayor, gave an interview to The Guardian in which he attacked Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, expressing his support for Corbyn’s opponent Owen Smith in the currently-underway party leader election campaign.
Will you offer us a hand? Every gift, regardless of size, fuels our future.
Your critical contribution enables us to maintain our independence from shareholders or wealthy owners, allowing us to keep up reporting without bias. It means we can continue to make Jewish Business News available to everyone.
You can support us for as little as $1 via PayPal at office@jewishbusinessnews.com.
Thank you.
In the interview, Khan said Corbyn does not have the necessary qualities to lead a major party. This is not the first time Khan has clashed with his party’s leader: He criticized Corbyn for not doing enough to eliminate anti-Semitism among the party’s ranks when a number of scandals broke earlier in 2016.
Khan’s Guardian interview angered some Corbyn supporters, who started attacking the mayor on social media. Some of these attacks were tinged with anti-Semitism. For example, one man posted a photo of Khan wearing a yarmulke during a Passover event held by a British Jewish community, writing, “Who owns you, @SadiqKhan?” Another wrote, “@SadiqKhan was elected to serve the people of London, but instead he spends his time writing articles to help his masters in Tel Aviv.”
Khan is considered a supporter of Israel, and a tenacious opponent of anti-Semitism. He is opposed to the anti-Israel BDS movement, and attended a Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony on his first day as mayor.
