Diane Abbott MP is once again under intense scrutiny following a now-deleted post on social media in which she referred to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as the “Jewish Defence Force”, a term widely criticised for blurring the line between the Israeli state and Jewish identity, and viewed by many as reinforcing anti-Semitic tropes.
The Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington posted on X: “Beyond horrific that the Jewish Defence Force is gunning down Palestinians as they queue for food #GazaGenocide.” The comment appeared to reference a controversial 2001 article by journalist Chris Hedges, who alleged Israeli soldiers had deliberately killed Palestinian children – a claim regarded by critics as inflammatory and unsubstantiated.
Abbott gave no explanation for using the term “Jewish Defence Force”, nor for reposting a decades-old report as if it were linked to current events in Gaza. The post was removed later the same day, but by then had already drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum, particularly from Jewish organisations and campaigners against anti-Semitism.
Russell Langer, director of public affairs at the Jewish Leadership Council, described the remark as “the latest in a series of grossly offensive comments made by Diane Abbott towards the Jewish community.” He said: “As an MP who has already had the whip suspended, we expect a clear message of zero tolerance to be shown.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews called for disciplinary action. “Diane Abbott’s disgraceful tweet is the latest in her long line of anti-Jewish offences and provocations,” a spokesperson said. “Coming so soon after the appalling scenes at Glastonbury, there can be no excuse. She should now lose the whip as a Labour MP.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism described the post as revealing the “sick interplay of misinformation and prejudice” often found in anti-Israel circles. “Whether Diane Abbott deleted her tweet because it misrepresented a 20-year-old incident as current, or because she mistakenly said what many on the far-left believe – that ‘Israel’ and ‘Jewish’ are interchangeable – the damage is done,” a spokesperson said. “This is not a gaffe. It’s a view.”
The remark follows recent controversy at the Glastonbury Festival, where pro-Palestinian activists chanted “Death to the IDF” during a live performance. Critics say Abbott’s tweet reflects the same rhetoric, but from a position of elected office.
In a commentary following the controversy, American writer Seth Mandel argued that Abbott’s use of the term “Jewish Defence Force” exposed the underlying sentiment in certain political circles that aim to conflate Israeli actions with global Jewry. Mandel described it as a “compound blood libel” – pairing an old antisemitic trope with contemporary misinformation – and suggested that Abbott had simply expressed what many of her ideological allies believe but typically avoid saying in public. “It’s what we might call a Kinsley gaffe,” Mandel wrote, “when a politician accidentally says something true.”
Ms Abbott was previously suspended from Labour in April 2023 after writing a letter to The Observer in which she suggested that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people did not experience racism in the same way as Black people. She compared such prejudice to that faced by red-haired individuals. Keir Starmer condemned the remarks as “antisemitic,” and an internal investigation led to a formal warning and mandatory antisemitism awareness training. Abbott was readmitted shortly before the 2024 general election.
The latest incident has prompted renewed calls for her permanent expulsion from the party. Alex Hearn, co-director of Labour Against Antisemitism, wrote: “This should cause the leadership to question her appropriateness as an MP, particularly in light of the Jewish community within her constituency.”
“Diane Abbott chose to make a derogatory comment on a totally unsubstantiated allegation harking back to medieval libels about Jews. This should cause the leadership of the party to question her appropriateness as an MP, particularly as so many of her constituents are Jewish” https://t.co/31t3mi724f
— Alex Hearn (@hearnimator) July 1, 2025
