Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has stirred condemnation and disbelief from members of his own party after it was revealed he attended a graveside wreath-laying ceremony honoring a Palestinian terrorist involved in the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre.
In a story published in the Sunday Times, a column written by the Labour leader in October 2014 for the Communist Party newspaper Morning Star was cited as evidence he attended a ceremony in Tunisia “where wreaths were laid… on the graves of [those] killed by Mossad agents in Paris in 1991”. Mr Corbyn described the event as “poignant”.
He wrote: “After wreaths were laid at the graves of those who died on that day and on the graves of others killed by Mossad agents in Paris in 1991, we moved to the poignant statue in the main avenue of the coastal town of Ben Arous, which was festooned with Palestinian and Tunisian flags.”
There is no record of Mossad having conducted an assassination in Paris in 1991.
Among those buried at the cemetery visited by Mr Corbyn is Atef Bseiso, who was head of intelligence for the PLO and was involved in the murder of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches as part of the infamous terrorist operation. The visit came just 12 months after Mr. Corbyn assumed leadership of the Labour Party.
During the Middle East trip, the man seeking to be prime minister also attended a conference alongside members of Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
UK-based Jewish groups were quick to respond.
Labour Friends of Israel condemned the news, saying it was part of a “a very disturbing pattern of behaviour.”
Simon Johnson, chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, said: “In light of today’s news reports, it is high time that Jeremy Corbyn clarifies his views regarding Palestinian terrorism. At first sight, attending a wreath-laying ceremony of a known terrorist, who led one of the most notorious acts of international terrorism, the attack on the Munich Olympics, would appear to be beyond the pale”.
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