The Labour Party has a “serious problem” with anti-Semitism, a senior Labour peer has warned.
Labour’s Naz Shah was suspended from the party pending an investigation after she made a number of comments about Israel on social media.
Lord Levy told BBC Newsnight he believed anti-Semitism existed across the political divide, but it seemed “more prominent” within Labour.
Ms Shah has made a “profound apology” in the Commons for her actions.
Ms Shah, who is the MP for Bradford West, has been widely criticised for her Facebook posts which she made before she became an MP.
In one post she suggested Israel should be moved to the United States.
Lord Levy, a former chief fundraiser for Labour, told the BBC her comments displayed “ignorance”, and he was left “scratching his head with despair as to how people like this can enter our parliament with such a lack of knowledge, discretion and sensitivity”.
His comments were echoed by cross-bench peer Baroness Neuberger, who also said Labour’s problem of anti-Semitism was “attached to Jeremy Corbyn becoming leader”, and added that it was “an issue with the hard left”.
Initially Mr Corbyn warned Ms Shah about what he described as her “offensive and unacceptable” posts, but Prime Minister David Cameron branded them racist and called for her suspension in the Commons.
Later the Labour Party issued a statement that said: “Jeremy Corbyn and Naz Shah have mutually agreed that she is administratively suspended from the Labour Party by the general secretary.
“Pending investigation, she is unable to take part in any party activity and the whip is removed.”
Facebook post
In a 2014 Facebook post Ms Shah shared a graphic showing an image of Israel’s outline superimposed on a map of the US under the headline “Solution for Israel-Palestine conflict – relocate Israel into United States”, with the comment “problem solved”.
The post suggested the US has “plenty of land” to accommodate Israel as a 51st state, allowing Palestinians to “get their life and their land back”.
It added that Israeli people would be welcome and safe in the US, while the “transportation cost” would be less than three years’ worth of Washington’s support for Israeli defence spending.
The post was brought to light by the Guido Fawkes political blogging website, which also highlighted a post in which she appeared to liken Israeli policies to those of Adolf Hitler.
But Ms Shah’s case is not the first time claims of anti-Semitism have been attached to Labour.
Earlier this year a Labour Luton councillor was suspended from the party after claiming Hitler was the “greatest man in history”.
In February a Labour MP called for the Oxford University branch of the party to be suspended over allegations of anti-Semitism by its members.
And in March a decision to reinstate an activist suspended in 2014 for making anti-Semitic comments was also criticised.
Meanwhile, former director of BBC Television Danny Cohen told BBC Newsnight that the Labour Party was “feeling like somewhere that isn’t a natural home for Jewish people in the UK”.
“What really troubles me is that Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the party has not adequately dealt with these problems,” he added.
Who is Naz Shah?
Image copyright
AP
By Sabbiyah Pervez, BBC Look North
Naz Shah burst onto the political scene during the 2015 general election, where she ousted Respect MP George Galloway.
Her selection as a candidate proved controversial, with divisions emerging in the local party. The candidate who was chosen first stood down four days later, before Ms Shah was imposed by the ruling National Executive Committee.
A bitter campaign followed, with Mr Galloway sparking anger by questioning Ms Shah’s account of her forced marriage.
After her victory, she was celebrated locally and nationally for her unique background and life experiences.
Growing up in poverty in Bradford, Ms Shah and her family were abandoned by her father who eloped with a neighbour’s teenage daughter. She has spoken openly about her experience of surviving a forced marriage and domestic violence.
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Labour has "anti-Semitism issue" - peer
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