Jeremy Corbyn, champion of Palestinian cause, elected head of Britain’s Labor Party

Marcy Oster

(JTA) — Jeremy Corbyn, a left-wing British politician who reportedly holds anti-Israel views and is a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, was elected the new leader of Britain’s Labor Party.

Corbyn won in the first round of voting with 59.5 percent of the vote.

Britain’s last Labor leader was Ed Miliband, who is Jewish. He stepped down in May after losing the general election by a wide margin to David Cameron and the Conservative Party.

Corbyn recently defended Rev. Stephen Sizer, an Anglican minister who posted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and has described Hamas and Hezbollah as “friends,” The Daily Mail has reported.

Corbyn has said that he plans to appoint a special envoy for Jewish affairs to communicate with the local Jewish community, as well as a similar position to reach out to the Muslim community.

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