British Jews feel May gray after PM's resignation

ANKARA

Jews on Friday thanked British Prime Minister Theresa May for her service to Israel and them in the U.K. after she announced her resignation.

May said she would resign as leader of the Conservative Party on June 7 after acknowledging her failure to sell her Brexit plan across the aisles for months. She would stay on as the premier until a successor is chosen.

“We sincerely thank Theresa May for being a true friend to the Jewish community,” President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews Marie van der Zyl wrote in a statement.

Zyl cited the May government's adoption of The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, banning Hezbollah and increasing security funding for protection of Jewish schools, community centers and places of worship as great services.

The May government "opposed anti-Israel bias at the UN Human Rights Council, drove forward plans for a Holocaust memorial beside Parliament and signed a trade agreement with Israel for trade post-Brexit," Zyle said.

It is also within living memory that the May government played a key role in making Prince William's historic visit to Israel possible in 2018, which ended a boycott on official visits to Israel by the seniors of the Royal family.

- Double standards in treating religious minorities

Jewish thanks to May came amid Muslim resentment of her Conservative government.

May’s government has constantly rejected the definition of Islamophobia proposed by the All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG) on British Muslims although it that has been adopted by parties including Labor, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Conservatives.

"Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness," the definition reads.

The Muslim Council of Britain last week was disappointed again when a government spokesman said in his rejection speech the wording needed "further careful consideration" and had "not been broadly accepted."

Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain Harun Khan called it "truly extraordinary."

Khan earlier said the Muslims "are left to wonder why the Conservative Party – whilst being mired in accusations of institutional Islamophobia – are choosing to exceptionalise Muslims in this way.”

British Muslims expect the British government to "revisit the issue."

The Institute for Jewish Policy Research estimates 284,000 Jews live in the U.K., representing 0.5 % of the population.

Islam is the second largest religion in the U.K. after Christianity.

A 2011 census showed the number of Muslims 2,516,000, represents 4.4% of the population of the U.K.

* Gurhan Kartal from London contributed to this story