It has been revealed this week that Labour’s John McDonnell called for British nationals who served in the Israel Defense Forces to be stripped of their British citizenship, showing his completely warped view on Israel.
The news comes as the country debates whether an ISIS member should be allowed back into the country or stripped of her citizenship, something the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t think should happen. Corbyn’s position is at odds with the vast majority of the country.
John McDonnell to then Home Secretary Theresa May in July 2014 challenging her to strip any British citizens who served in the Israeli Defence Force of their British citizenship. McDonnell writes:
“Will you be warning any British citizens considering engagement with the IDF that, in line with established British Government practice (e.g. the deprivation of British citizenship from, to date, at least 40 UK passport holders who have been involved in the Syrian civil war), such engagement may put their British citizenship in jeopardy?”
It turns out his number two is in favour of stripping people of their citizenship, not if they are part of a terrorist organisation, but only if they have served in the IDF. This is not surprising as McDonnell does not like Israel. Here he is accusing Israel of carrying out genocide.
Guido Fawkes reports:
Just hours after Jeremy Corbyn said of ISIS bride Shamima Begum: “Taking somebody’s citizenship away is not the right thing to do. I think she should be brought back,” Guido can reveal the letter from John McDonnell to then Home Secretary Theresa May in July 2014 challenging her to strip any British citizens who served in the Israeli Defence Force of their British citizenship. McDonnell writes:
“Will you be warning any British citizens considering engagement with the IDF that, in line with established British Government practice (e.g. the deprivation of British citizenship from, to date, at least 40 UK passport holders who have been involved in the Syrian civil war), such engagement may put their British citizenship in jeopardy?”
McDonnell states that he wrote the letter in response to this article by Robert Fisk, calling for any Brits who volunteered for the IDF to be questioned by police when they returned from Israel. McDonnell went much further, suggesting that Brits volunteering for the IDF should be classed as “terrorists” as well as being deprived of their citizenship. The hard left just can’t get over their Israel obsession…
Incredibly, the letter was still publicly posted on McDonnell’s website until at least June 2017, almost two years after he became Shadow Chancellor. McDonnell has since deleted the letter, but the internet never forgets…
Corbyn’s position on Begum’s citizenship is deeply unpopular with the public but did at least appear principled – it is looking a lot less principled now that it emerges that his right-hand man was in favour of stripping Brits of their citizenship for fighting for the UK’s main ally in the Middle East. McDonnell’s position appears to be that Britons with dual Israeli nationality fighting to defend the Israeli state should be stripped of their nationality yet their Islamic State terrorist enemies in the same position should not…
Read McDonnell’s letter in full below:
Dear Home Secretary,
I have provided below a link to an article written by Robert Fisk, the much respected journalist and expert on the Middle East.
Here is the link to the Robert Fisk piece:
You will see that in this article he raises the question of the possibility of British passport holders fighting in the Israeli military or on behalf of the Israeli state in recent conflicts.
I am aware of the Government’s policy of detaining and prosecuting those British citizens travelling to fight in the current Middle East conflicts.
I am writing to ask if you are aware of how many British citizens are currently fighting with, or are intending to join, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) in and around the Gaza Strip? Will you be making the necessary arrangements to assess the numbers involved?
Will you in your capacity as Home Secretary be advising all British citizens publicly that engagement with the IDF in the current onslaught on the population of Gaza puts them at strong risk of being held personally responsible for the war crimes currently being committed in the form of indiscriminate bombing, shelling, or firing that knowingly risks the lives of non-combatants, and the imposition of collective punishment, all of which are unlawful in international law?
Will you be explaining to them that association with those who are intentionally targeting civilians for political ends, or participation in such acts, would involve them in an association with or engaged in, the perpetration of acts that meet the statutory definition of terrorism in the UK?
Will you be warning any British citizens considering engagement with the IDF that, in line with established British Government practice (e.g. the deprivation of British citizenship from, to date, at least 40 UK passport holders who have been involved in the Syrian civil war), such engagement may put their British citizenship in jeopardy?
Given the seriousness of the current situation in Gaza and the apparent escalation of the Israeli attacks on Palestinians, I urge you to address these questions promptly so that any British citizen currently participating or planning to participate in these attacks is warned of the potential consequences and thus may be deterred from acting in this way.
Yours
John McDonnell MP
