Labour MP Deletes Tweet Condemning the ‘Jewish Defence Force’

(Photo by /Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

British Labour MP Diane Abbott is under fire after referring to the Israeli military as the “Jewish Defence Forces” in a now-deleted social media post accusing the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) of committing “genocide.”

The long-serving MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington took to X on Tuesday morning while sharing a quote from journalist Chris Hedges. The excerpt, describing a 2001 incident during the Second Intifada, accused Israeli soldiers of luring Palestinian children “like mice into a trap” and killing them “for sport.”

Abbott captioned her repost: “Beyond horrific that the Jewish Defence Force is gunning down Palestinians as they queue for food #GazaGenocide.”

The post was deleted hours later.

Abbott’s now-deleted tweet. (Screengrab via X)

While it’s unclear whether Abbott realised the quote referenced an event more than 20 years ago, the misnaming of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the framing of her comment have triggered fierce backlash from across the UK political establishment.

Fiona Sharpe, spokesperson for Labour Against Antisemitism, told The Jewish Chronicle she found it “sad” and called on the “leadership of the party to question her appropriateness as an MP.” Sharpe noted that “many of [Abbott’s] constituents are Jewish.”

Also speaking to the Jewish Chronicle, David Taylor, MP for Hemel Hempstead, a Labour colleague, gave the blunt assessment: “This isn’t a slip of the tongue, it’s a slip of the mask.”

He added: “Language like this fans the flames of antisemitism and puts Jewish communities in the UK at risk. There’s no place for this in our politics and no excuse for it either.”

Abbott, previously suspended for controversial remarks about antisemitism in 2023, was nonetheless reselected by Labour to stand in the last general election but her tweet risks re-opening an episode that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership has fought to close.