U.K. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has given the go-ahead to party members to avoid voting in favor of the United Kingdom’s official designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist group.
Corbyn has called members of Hezbollah his “friends.”
“In a move that immediately infuriated many party MPs, the Labour leader issued a one-line whip for the rest of Tuesday’s business in the Commons—meaning they did not have to turn up to vote on the order proscribing Hezbollah in its entirety,” reported The Jewish Chronicle.
The outlet added, “The party later issued a statement suggesting the ban was motivated by Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s ‘leadership ambitions.’ ”
The designation occurred amid the maximum pressure campaign by the United States against Iran, which supports Hezbollah. Before this, the United Kingdom distinguished between the Hezbollah terrorist and political facets.
“Hezbollah is continuing in its attempts to destabilise the fragile situation in the Middle East, and we are no longer able to distinguish between their already banned military wing and the political party,” said Javid on Monday. “Because of this, I have taken the decision to proscribe the group in its entirety.”
