(1) ZOG: UK Labour sacks Rebecca Long-Bailey for saying Israel taught knee-on-neck to US cops(2) Guardian endorses sacking of Long-Bailey(3) Economist (Rothschild) says Rebecca Long Bailey "failed to criticise Mr Corbyn over  anti-Semitism"(4) Economist says Israel denies teaching Knee on Neck to American cops (and does not question that)(5) All-Party Parliamentary Group against Anti-Semitism welcomes Rebecca Long-Bailey sacking(6) Left members may quit Labour in wake of Long-Bailey sacking(7) The knee-on-neck, long a staple of Israel’s occupation of Palestine(8) Minn cops trained by Israeli police, who often use knee-on-neck restraintSee photos of Israeli police officers using knee-on-neck on Palestinians:https://cdni0.trtworld.com/w960/h540/q75/80104_PLO2019_1590864408161.JPGIsraeli police officers detain a Palestinian protestor during scuffles outside the compound housing al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City March 12, 2019. (Reuters) ==https://israelpalestinenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Knee.neck_-728x397.jpeghttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/EZPQ7_aXQAEWhrh?format=jpg&name=360x360https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EZPQ7_VXsAIVSQ6?format=jpg&name=360x360(1) UK Labour education spokesperson Rebecca Long-Bailey fired for saying Israel taught  knee-on-neck to US copshttps://www.rt.com/uk/492946-bailey-long-fired-antisemitism/‘Anti-Semitic conspiracy theory’ tweet sees Long-Bailey booted from UK Labour shadow cabinet25 Jun, 2020 17:30 / Updated 21 hours agoThe UK Labour Party’s "anti-Semitism crisis" has claimed another victim, as shadow education secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey is fired for sharing an article containing a so-called "anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.""This afternoon Keir Starmer asked Rebecca Long-Bailey to step down from the shadow cabinet," a spokesman for the Labour leader said, claiming that an article she'd shared earlier on Thursday contained an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.The statement went on to say that Starmer, who took over the party plagued with accusations of anti-Semitism, has been "clear that restoring trust with the Jewish community is a number one priority," adding, "antisemitism takes many different forms and it is important that we all are vigilant against it."Long-Bailey shared an Independent interview with Maxine Peake on Twitter. In it, the actress says: "The tactics used by the police in America, kneeling on George Floyd’s neck, that was learnt from seminars with Israeli secret services." It was later updated to include a denial by the Israeli police that this is the case, and a reference to an Amnesty International report about US law enforcement travel to Israel for training was removed.Amnesty International has said that Israeli forces train US law enforcement and partake in police exchange programs. In the wake of Floyd’s murder a number of articles circulated, reporting that Minnesota cops received Israeli training in Chicago in 2012. Israeli soldiers have been photographed leaning on Palestinians’ chests and necks, although Israel Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld denies this is a tactic they use. It isn't proven, of course, that the police officer who killed Floyd was taught how to lean on people’s necks by Israeli police.Long-Bailey tweeted an explanation for her retweet, saying she shared the article because of Peake’s "significant achievements and because the thrust of her argument is to stay in the Labour Party. It wasn’t intended to be an endorsement of all aspects of the article."She later added that she agreed on the wording of her explanation with the Labour Party Leader’s Office, but was "subsequently instructed to take both this agreed clarification and my original retweet down." She said she couldn’t do this without issuing a press statement of clarification and asked to discuss it with Starmer but "sadly he had already made his decision."The Jewish Board of Deputies among a number of other groups which called out Long-Bailey’s tweet. Before she was fired, it released a statement slamming the politician’s "pathetic" response to criticism of her tweet and questioning her "suitability" for her role.(2) Guardian endorses sacking of Long-Baileyhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/26/sacking-rebecca-long-bailey-labour-antisemitism-keir-starmerThe sacking of Long-Bailey shows that, at last, Labour is serious about antisemitismJonathan FreedlandKeir Starmer promised zero tolerance. His swift and decisive action over her misguided tweet shows he means itFri 26 Jun 2020 23.44 AEST Last modified on Sat 27 Jun 2020 03.47 AESTAsked to name the greatest single cause of the climate crisis, you might waver between, say, industry or electricity generation or agriculture, but in 2007 the former Labour cabinet minister Clare Short had a novel answer: Israel. At a conference in Brussels, Short said the global finger of blame should point at Israel because, if it wasn’t for that country’s conflict with the Palestinians, the world would be amicably united in dealing with carbon emissions. Israel, she said, "undermines the international community’s reaction to global warming", an act of distraction that would ultimately lead to "the end of the human race".The memory of Short’s insight returned on reading the Independent’s Thursday interview with the actor Maxine Peake, in which Peake falsely claimed that the knee on the neck that killed George Floyd in Minneapolis was a technique "learnt from seminars with Israeli secret services". It was Rebecca Long-Bailey’s refusal to delete, and apologise for, a tweeted endorsement of the Peake interview that saw Keir Starmer make his first shadow cabinet sacking – a move with serious implications for his party and his leadership of it, and perhaps beyond.The link between Peake and Short is a cast of mind that sees the worst events in the world and determinedly puts Israel at the centre of them, even in defiance of the facts or basic common sense. Whatever horrors are unfolding, the hidden hand of the world’s only majority-Jewish country must be secretly behind them. For a long while, my favourite illustration of such thinking was the Washington DC council member who in 2018 blamed a day’s heavy snowfall on "the Rothschilds". But Peake might now have a claim to top spot.To look at the US, with its four centuries of racist oppression and white supremacist violence, its many decades of police brutality, and to decide that the Floyd killing was not something US police might have come up with all by themselves – that they required the instruction of faraway Israel – is to stray from rational analysis into the wilder reaches of conspiracy theory. In the words of Dave Rich, author of The Left’s Jewish Problem, such ideas perfectly "mimic the thought structure" of age-old antisemitic theories of a Jewish plot to bring global ruin: they simply insert the world’s only Jewish country, Israel, where "the Jews" used to be.The story has played out in several of the familiar ways. Once again, Jews and their allies have had to patiently explain to the likes of John McDonnell that this isn’t mere "criticism of practices of Israeli state", as he tweeted – and not only because, as Peake herself confessed, she had got her facts wrong. Long-Bailey’s defenders on the left have argued that she didn’t really notice the antisemitism, that she was merely affirming a constituent saying admirably radical things, not realising that that is precisely the problem: the failure, even after several years of this stuff, to see anti-Jewish prejudice when it stares them in the face. Once more, Jews have had to wonder why those who are usually so intolerant of microaggressions against other minorities are so curiously forgiving of pretty macro aggressions directed against Jews.But there’s a big difference this time – because now, after five painful years, Labour is led by someone who gets it. What a relief it was to hear Starmer identify the core accusation amplified by his colleague not as "inappropriate" or "unhelpful" but as "antisemitic". He and his team did not need a 12-step education programme to see the problem, nor did they insist on a seminar-room debate about the finer definitions of what is and what isn’t anti-Jewish prejudice. Instead, they understood that they are running a political party, not a student union: the scope for error is narrower.By his action, Starmer has shown he grasps that politics is painted in primary colours. Most voters will barely be aware of this episode, let alone follow the nuances. If anything cuts through, it will be that the new Labour leader promised zero tolerance of antisemitism and he meant it. (Though it seems Starmer offered her a way out, had she agreed to apologise, which she refused to take.)That’s been noticed by Conservatives, who after five years believing themselves essentially unopposed, and therefore able to get away with anything, now recognise they are up against someone serious about power. The contrast with Boris Johnson’s failure to sack Robert Jenrick, let alone Dominic Cummings, is striking – and not flattering to the prime minister. It’s possible that Starmer has overreached, provoking the Corbynite diehards in ways that could cost him. But the scale of his victory margin in April, and his success in getting his own choice of party general secretary, have led him to calculate that his position is stronger than others might imagine.Starmer’s response is not the only cause for cautious cheer here. Peake’s retraction is also welcome: even if she didn’t apologise, she conceded that she had got it wrong and acknowledged the link between what she’d claimed and antisemitism. Tellingly, she admitted to having made an "assumption", a habit all too common on the far left: a readiness to assume that if there’s evil afoot, then Israel must be pulling the strings. It also helps that Amnesty International has disavowed attempts to suggest a report of theirs in any way substantiated Peake’s false claim. Suddenly, the likes of McDonnell, Jon Lansman and Len McCluskey, still banging out the old denialist tunes, look isolated and out of time.It might be fanciful, but perhaps something else might come out of this. If people can absorb that Israel is not responsible for all the world’s evils, but rather for a very specific injustice that desperately needs resolution, then perhaps we can move away from a conversation that casually echoes centuries-old slurs against Jews, and towards one that at last addresses the on-the-ground reality. That reality is getting worse for Palestinians, with the prospect of annexation of the West Bank looming ever closer. We need to hear that, without getting diverted by medieval fantasies about Jews.o Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist(3) Economist (Rothschild) says Rebecca Long Bailey "failed to criticise Mr Corbyn over anti-Semitism"https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/01/09/starmer-long-bailey-and-the-rest-of-the-fieldThe Labour leadership raceStarmer, Long Bailey and the rest of the fieldTwo candidates are in the lead but there’s all to play forBritainJan 9th 2020 editionLabour’s 1983 election manifesto was called "the longest suicide note in history". Now Jeremy Corbyn is producing the longest death-rattle in history. On January 7th the party’s national executive committee decided the terms of the contest to replace him. The next leader will be announced on April 4th. Candidates must secure the support of 22 mps or meps to get on the ballot. They then need nomination by at least 33 constituency parties or three affiliated organisations of which two must be trade unions. Only then does their name go to the membership in a deciding postal vote. While this process works itself out, Mr Corbyn is the party’s zombie leader and Britain has no serious opposition.There are two front-runners in this slow race: Rebecca Long Bailey, the opposition business spokesman, and Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary. Ms Long Bailey is a continuity candidate who thinks her party lost the election because it presented good policies badly. She has got off to a faltering start, rousing general mirth by calling the man who led his party to its worst defeat since 1935 a "visionary" who deserved a mark of "ten out of ten". Her robotic delivery is already grating after only a week; her history as a suck-up who failed to criticise Mr Corbyn over anti-Semitism also dogs her. But as a self-proclaimed "proud socialist" she enjoys the support of party barons like Len McCluskey, head of the Unite trade union, and Jon Lansman, boss of Momentum.Sir Keir is a europhile barrister who looks as if he’s wandered by mistake out of the Blair cabinet onto the Corbyn front bench. With 42 nominations, he is already well over the mps’ threshold, and he has the backing of Unison, Britain’s biggest trade union. His support for Europe creates a bond with the rank-and-file. A YouGov poll gives him 36% of party members’ support against Ms Long Bailey’s 23%. He has even been sucking up to the left by praising Mr Corbyn’s policies on nationalisation and pointing out that he was named after a party founder, Keir Hardie. But left-wing activists suspect that he wants to yank the party back to the centre and pragmatists worry that a paid-up member of the metropolitan elite is not the person to win back northern working-class voters who have abandoned the party for the Tories.Among the second-division candidates, Lisa Nandy gave the best performance in parliamentary hustings on January 7th. Ms Nandy, the quietly charismatic mp for Wigan, a run-down town that voted heavily for Brexit, has thought seriously about reviving left-behind towns. She long warned her party that it risked losing its northern heartland. Jess Phillips is running a spirited campaign armed with the slogan "speak truth, win power". But her weakness for speaking without thinking may undermine her case, and she lacks a power base.Emily Thornberry is doing badly given her profile as shadow foreign secretary and her fluency as a parliamentary performer. Her problems can be summed up in two phrases: Lady Nugee (her title as the wife of a high court judge) and Islington South (her constituency, whose location will make it hard for her to argue that she can help win back the north). Clive Lewis, a telegenic former soldier, is gaining little traction as few know what he stands for. At the time of writing, he had only two endorsements, including his own. Barry Gardiner, a Corbyn loyalist who is thinking of joining the race, looks unlikely to do much better.Labour is also holding a separate election for deputy leader. Here, Angela Rayner, the party’s education spokesman, is storming ahead. Ms Rayner is more impressive than her flatmate, Ms Long Bailey, and refuses to bow down to the Stalinist clique that surrounds the departing leader.Labour’s left wing is usually as good at stitching up its own party as it is bad at winning elections. In this case, however, it has made the potentially fatal mistake of backing a stooge in the form of Ms Long Bailey rather than a softer socialist who is honest enough to admit that, whatever Mr Corbyn deserves for his performance as leader, it is not full marks.?This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline "Under starters’ orders"(4) Economist says Israel denies teaching Knee on Neck to American cops (and does not question that)https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/06/27/keir-starmer-needs-to-change-the-labour-partyLabour’s leaderKeir Starmer needs to change the Labour PartyThe leader is a hit with voters. The party isn’tJun 27th 2020 editionIn the course of his weekly online chats with voters, Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour Party’s new leader, asks callers to be blunt about where the party went wrong. A group from Northumberland does not disappoint. Participants complain about its anti-Semitism, neglect of the north and economic incompetence, along with its positions on Brexit and immigration. But Louise Hantman offers a word of comfort. "We feel quite excited that you’re there now. There’s a light on the horizon."She’s not the only fan. Sir Keir, who took over as leader three months ago, has had a good debut. His net satisfaction score of 31% matches the best figure Tony Blair achieved as leader of the opposition (see chart) according to Ipsos mori. The best Mr Starmer’s predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, scored was -1%. Worryingly for the Tories, says Ben Page, the polling firm’s chief executive, undecided voters tend to go for Sir Keir as they make up their minds. According to a survey by YouGov, voters find him less likeable than Boris Johnson, but more competent and more decisive.Coronavirus has provided rich opportunities for Sir Keir. He has supported Mr Johnson on big strategic decisions, and needled him on testing regimes and care homes at prime minister’s questions. Mr Johnson mocks the former Director of Public Prosecutions as a dithering lawyer, but the Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer kcb qc mp’s Scrabble-board of credentials and bookish seriousness—he pores over spreadsheets of covid-19 data before his duels with the prime minister—seem to reassure voters put off by Mr Corbyn’s anti-establishment tendencies.But while voters tell pollsters that Sir Keir looks like a prime minister in waiting, they believe by larger margins that the Labour Party is not ready for government. The brand is soiled. The Conservative Party has an eight-point lead over Labour, according to the most recent YouGov poll, down from 24 at the height of the coronavirus crisis, and a little down from its 12-point lead in the general election. Voters think that Labour is weaker, less competent and less moderate than the Tories are.Rehabilitating a party that disappeared down an extremist rabbit-hole and lost four elections on the trot is a big task, but there is progress. Labour has gone back to the basics of being an opposition party. Meetings start on time, mps receive proper briefings, and the "grid" that sets the party’s news agenda is observed. Like Mr Blair, Sir Keir urges members not to blame the press for their woes, and says elections should be fought on five pledges, "not 125". He wants the party to talk about aspiration and "people who want to get on", as well as the downtrodden.Sir Keir has broken the grip of the Corbynists who once controlled the party. "Starmer is master of all he surveys," says a veteran. His supporters have won a majority on the all-powerful National Executive Committee. Corbyn loyalists have been axed from the shadow cabinet. Jennie Formby, a Corbyn ally, has quit as general secretary in favour of David Evans, a Starmer man. Sir Keir has apologised to Jewish groups for the anti-Semitism that thrived under Mr Corbyn, and his dominant position will allow him to overhaul the party’s disciplinary process. The Board of Deputies, a leading Jewish body, says things are going in the right direction. "Don’t underestimate the importance of stopping crazy things from happening," says an old party hand. Rebecca Long-Bailey’s fate on June 25th suggests Sir Keir is serious. The shadow education secretary, who had challenged him for the leadership and was one of the few surviving Corbynistas in his team, tweeted a link to a newspaper article containing claims that American cops had learnt the techniques which killed George Floyd from Israel. (The Israeli authorities have denied this.) Sir Keir said that was an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory, and sacked her."How does Keir’s start compare with mine? It’s manifestly better. He’s more capable, and more reassuring, at 58 than I was at 41," says Neil Kinnock, who modernised and moderated Labour as leader in the late 1980s. And Sir Keir’s foes, in Mr Johnson and the Corbynistas, are less daunting than Margaret Thatcher and Militant, whom Lord Kinnock faced.Given that Labour’s performance in the general election of December 2019 was its worst since 1935, it might reasonably be assumed that things can only get better. But a report published in June by Labour Together, a group of party thinkers, and co-written by Ed Miliband, a former leader and close ally of Sir Keir’s, warns otherwise. It concludes that cultural and demographic trends loosened Labour’s grip on northern English seats for 20 years before Mr Corbyn handed them over to the Tories. Another moderate swing in the 2024 election would see 58 seats including Rotherham, Hartlepool and Halifax turn blue. Labour needs to win 123 seats to form a majority in Parliament in 2024, a swing similar to Mr Blair’s in 1997.The biggest challenge is the economy. Sir Keir thinks the pandemic changes the debate on state spending and intervention in the economy to Labour’s advantage. But Mr Johnson wants to pour cash into railways, roads and hospitals, and voters think the Tories are better at running the economy by a margin of two to one. That makes it risky for Labour to outbid them. A shadow cabinet member warns against timidity. "If we say nothing, how does that rebuild competence? That is the big strategic dilemma we face." Peter Mandelson, an architect of Mr Blair’s victories, thinks the party needs a new agenda that embraces life sciences, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurs. "We have to own the future, not try to reheat the past."Another is culture. Labour’s older voters tend to agree with statements such "an eye for an eye" and "I am proud to be British". Its younger urban voters do not. Like Mr Blair, Sir Keir has tacked right on cultural issues, backing a Tory policy of long prison sentences for yobs who vandalise war memorials, and has ducked a debate on trans rights. He praised Black Lives Matter protesters, but condemned the toppling of a statue in Bristol. Allies say he will be tough on law and order, and unequivocal in backing Britain’s spies and armed forces. This may test the patience of the Corbyn-era intake of radical young mps. On Brexit, Sir Keir, who pushed for a second referendum, says the issue is settled.The third big challenge is Scotland. On the issue of independence—which the Scottish National Party wants, and the Tories oppose—Labour sat in the middle of the road, and got run over. It held 41 seats out of 59 in 2010, and now has one. Without a recovery in Scotland it will struggle to win a majority in Westminster, so it needs to take a clear position on the union. But which? Support for a second independence referendum offers the possibility of a coalition with the snp, but may alarm English voters who fear a break-up. Ruling it out might win back older Scottish voters who left for the Tories, but cost it with the young, who favour independence.Given where Labour was six months ago, what Sir Keir has achieved is astonishing. "Something as simple as not being ashamed of the Labour Party is incredibly refreshing," says an old hand. "But a return to normality is not sufficient to do what’s required in four years’ time."?Editor's note (June 25th 2020): This article has been updated to reflect the dismissal of Rebecca Long-Bailey from the shadow cabinet on June 25th.This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline "Starmer’s army"(5) All-Party Parliamentary Group against Anti-Semitism welcomes Rebecca Long-Bailey sackinghttps://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/18543560.rebecca-long-bailey-sacked-maxine-peake-speaks-interview/26th June Rebecca Long-Bailey sacked: Maxine Peake speaks out over interviewBy Kit Vickery  @kitvickeryBolton lass Maxine Peake has spoken out about the "anti-Semitic conspiracy theory" she shared in an interview.In an interview with The Independent, the popular actress claimed police linked to the death of George Floyd in the US had learned their tactics from the Israeli secret services.Rebecca Long-Bailey was sacked from the shadow cabinet yesterday afternoon after sharing a link to the article on her Twitter page.In a post to the social media platform, Ms Peake said: "I feel it’s important for me to clarify that, when talking to The Independent, I was inaccurate in my assumption of American Police training & its sources."I find racism & anti-Semitism abhorrent & I in no way wished, nor intended, to add fodder to any views of the contrary."Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer took action after Ms Long-Bailey tweeted a link to the interview, adding: "The sharing of that article was wrong, because the article contained anti-Semitic conspiracy theories."I have therefore stood Rebecca Long-Bailey down from the shadow cabinet."In comments reported by the BBC he said: "I’ve made it my first priority to tackle anti-Semitism and rebuilding trust with the Jewish community is a number one priority for me."Opinion on Ms Long-Bailey's removal has been divided, with some praising Mr Starmer for his swift action against anti-Semitism, and some concerned that the event reinforces the idea that any criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic.The All-Party Parliamentary Group against Anti-Semitism welcomed the response from the Labour leader, with co-chairs Catherine McKinnell and Andrew Percy releasing a statement on Twitter.It said: "We welcome Sir Keir Starmer’s zero tolerance approach and decisive action. Members of Parliament have a duty to challenge anti-Semitic conspiracy theories not share them."We will work with all political parties to ensure anti-Semitism plays no part in public life, and our group will always work to educate colleagues about it."Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell tweeted his support for Ms Long-Bailey, saying: "Throughout discussion of anti-Semitism it’s always been said criticism of practices of Israeli state is not anti-Semitic."I don’t believe therefore that this article is or ??Rebecca Long-Bailey? should’ve been sacked. I stand in solidarity with her."Shortly after her dismissal, Ms Long-Bailey tweeted a thread in response to the incident, saying that she couldn't "in good conscience" delete her tweets without a statement.She said: "Today I retweeted an interview that my constituent and stalwart Labour Party supporter Maxine Peake gave to the Independent. Its main thrust was anger with the Conservative government’s handling of the current emergency and a call for Labour Party unity."These are sentiments are shared by everyone in our movement and millions of people in our country. I learned that many people were concerned by references to international sharing of training and restraint techniques between police and security forces."In no way was my retweet an intention to endorse every part of that article."I wished to acknowledge these concerns and duly issued a clarification of my retweet, with the wording agreed in advance by the Labour Party leader’s Office, but after posting I was subsequently instructed to take both this agreed clarification and my original retweet down."I could not do this in good conscience without the issuing of a press statement of clarification. I had asked to discuss these matters with Keir before agreeing what further action to take, but sadly he had already made his decision."I am proud of the policies we have developed within the party from our green industrial revolution to a national education service and I will never stop working for the change our communities need to see."I am clear that I shall continue to support the Labour Party in Parliament under Keir Starmer’s leadership, to represent the people of Salford and Eccles and work towards a more equal, peaceful and sustainable world."(6) Left members may quit Labour in wake of Long-Bailey sackinghttps://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jun/26/keir-starmer-faces-backlash-from-leftwing-mps-over-rebecca-long-bailey-sackingStarmer faces backlash from leftwing MPs over Long-Bailey sackingLabour MPs including Jeremy Corbyn met with the party leader to express concernsHeather Stewart Political editorFri 26 Jun 2020 20.54 AEST Last modified on Sat 27 Jun 2020 02.50 AESTLeftwing Labour MPs including John McDonnell are urging colleagues, "don’t leave, organise", as the sacking of Rebecca Long-Bailey provides a rallying point for critics of Keir Starmer’s leadership.McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn were among MPs who met Starmer on Friday morning to express their concerns.The Labour leader is facing a backlash from leftwingers in the party after abruptly removing Long-Bailey from her post as shadow education secretary on Thursday.At Friday’s meeting, held via video link, Corbyn urged Starmer to continue to take a tough line on the annexation of Palestinian territory, and to meet the leftwing group Jewish Voice for Labour.JVL supported Corbyn when he faced claims of failing to tackle antisemitism during his leadership. Part of Corbyn’s contribution to Friday’s meeting was obscured by a poor internet connection.McDonnell later approvingly tweeted details of a grouping called Don’t Leave, Organise, of which JVL is a member. Set up in the spring, the group says its aims include "to prevent any rightward drift that may occur within Labour under Keir Starmer".With Starmer already narrowly holding a majority on Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC), some are concerned about tens of thousands of members leaving the party, weakening the voice of the left inside the Labour machine.Long-Bailey’s removal on Thursday prompted criticisms from leading leftwing figures in the party, some of whom had previously been reluctant to confront Starmer directly.Long-Bailey had tweeted a newspaper interview with Maxine Peake, calling the actor an "absolute diamond".In discussing the Black Lives Matter movement, Peake linked the behaviour of US police with Israel – something Starmer called an "antisemitic conspiracy theory". Peake, a longtime Labour supporter, subsequently apologised.The general secretary of the Unite union, Len McCluskey, tweeted that Starmer’s decision was "an unnecessary over-reaction to a confected row", adding that "unity is too important to be risked like this".Corbyn has adopted a relatively low profile since stepping down from the leadership in the wake of December’s general election defeat.But Friday’s meeting underlines the fact that a well-organised leftwing caucus has been preparing to act as a focal point for dissent against Starmer’s leadership.The former deputy leadership candidate Richard Burgon has been building up the profile and resources of the Socialist Campaign Group, with the backing of McDonnell, the former shadow chancellor and Corbyn’s close ally.Burgon’s allies say he wants to make it into a leftwing version of the Fabian Society.In a statement released after the meeting, the Socialist Campaign Group said it had been "a business-like exchange of views", which as well as Long-Bailey’s sacking had covered "the need for the Labour party, MPs, party members and supporters to speak out about Israel’s illegal annexation and ongoing human rights abuses by the government of Israel".They later released a separate statement, signed by 21 MPs including Corbyn, McDonnell and Diane Abbott, saying: "In line with conference policy, Labour must recognise that any just peace must be based on self-determination for Palestine, with equality and human rights for all."Corbyn’s allies have long felt that pressure over antisemitism has been used as a way of silencing legitimate criticism of Israel. An "emollient" Starmer told them, according to one witness, that he had no intention of letting that happen – and had been fighting for human rights throughout his life.Labour insiders also point to the fact that Lisa Nandy, the shadow foreign secretary, has been part of a cross-party group pressing for an urgent question in the House of Commons on annexation, with a draft expected to be submitted to the party – and to named individuals – imminently.Long-Bailey’s sacking has rekindled tensions over Labour’s record on antisemitism under Corbyn’s leadership, which is under formal investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).An internal report leaked over Easter and apparently prepared for submission to the EHRC, blamed a "hyper-factional culture" at Labour HQ during the early years of Corbyn’s leadership for some of the party’s failings during that period.Starmer launched a review into the contents of the report, which included scores of strongly worded personal WhatsApp messages sent by staffers hostile to Corbyn, and how it was leaked.Chaired by the QC Martin Forde, the review panel launched a call for evidence on Friday. Forde said he could not compel people to come forward, but urged them to do so."We cannot force anyone to bring information to us but I hope all those with an interest in the issue will see the value of contributing. That way we can build the fullest picture of the circumstances and content of the leaked report as well as the current culture and practices of the Labour party," he said.The review’s terms of reference, also published on Friday, say issues it will examine include: "The extent of racist, sexist and other discriminatory culture within Labour party workplaces, the attitudes and conduct of the senior staff of the Labour party, and their relationships with the elected leadership of the Labour party."(7) The knee-on-neck, long a staple of Israel’s occupation of Palestinehttps://www.trtworld.com/magazine/the-knee-on-neck-long-a-staple-of-israel-s-occupation-of-palestine-3678730 MAY 2020A now infamous image of a white police officer kneeling on the neck of an African-American man, who would later die, has caused global outrage and violent unrest across the US.Caught on video, George Floyd’s death was seemingly the straw that broke the camel’s back in that it came after several other high profile killings of several other African-Americans either by police or suspects who did not face immediate legal consequences.For one community, the disproportionate violence faced by black people at the hands of US police forces has special resonance as it reflects their own experiences with the authorities.For Palestinians living under military occupation in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, the worst excesses of the kind seen in the US recently, are a near everyday occurrence.In the aftermath of Floyd’s killing, Palestinians were quick to draw parallels between the final images of the man suffering under the knee of the officer, and similar choke holds used by Israel occupation forces."Crazy how the same thing happens in Palestine but the world chooses to ignore it," Palestinian athlete Mohammad Alqadi wrote on his Twitter above four separate images of Israeli soldiers pinning Palestinians to the ground with their knees on their necks or head.Killings of Palestinians by Israeli forces are also a regular occurrence: in 2019, 135 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces with 108 in Gaza and another 27 in the West Bank, according to the UN.The similarities do not end there, as some activists have drawn parallels between the way US police have handled protests against police brutality in the aftermath of Floyd’s death and the way Israel has dealt with protests in Gaza.Such comparisons come with caveats, as US police officers despite the controversy over their tactics have yet to kill anywhere near the numbers Israel killed in the Gaza right of return protests in 2018, for example. Nevertheless, some of the tactics used are the same, according to pro-Palestinian groups.On Twitter, the BDS and Palestinian Solidarity working group within the Democratic Socialists of America wrote:  "The police violence happening tonight in Minneapolis is straight out of the IDF playbook. How many times have we seen uprisings in Gaza met w/ a storm of tear gas? How many times are Palestinians in the West Bank doused w/ skunk water during a protest? US cops train in Israel."Police training in IsraelAmnesty International has warned that hundreds of police departments have been training in Israeli alongside military officers, who "have racked up documented human rights violations for years."The rights group notes that one of the departments involved in the training, the Baltimore Police Department, had been cited by the US Department of Justice for "widespread constitutional violations, discriminatory enforcement, and culture of retaliation."Both Amnesty and the US State Department have cited incidences of Israeli security officials engaging in brutality against Palestinians.The rights group said: "Baltimore and other police departments should find partners that will train on de-escalation techniques, how to handle mentally challenged or ill citizens, on the constitutional rights of citizens concerning filming and how to appropriately respond to those using non-violent protest to express their opinions. Israel is not such a partner."Palestinian activist Huda Ammori of the Apartheid off Campus group told TRT World that such links between "militarised" US police forces and the Israeli security establishment emphasised the need for unity between African-Americans and Palestinians."We’re seeing the oppressors united with their training, their same techniques. Between the Black Lives Matter community and the Palestinian community, and other communities across the world, we need to unite to fight against these systems." Ammori said."It’s the same systems of oppression that are affecting all of these communities...we must fight back together."