Israeli foreign minister says he hopes Corbyn isn’t elected

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s foreign minister says he hopes the leader of Britain’s Labour Party doesn’t get elected in the country’s upcoming vote.

Israel Katz told Israeli Army Radio on Thursday that he hopes Jeremy Corbyn isn’t brought to power on Dec. 12.

Katz said: “I personally hope he doesn’t get elected.”

He cited a “wave” of anti-Semitism that Corbyn “doesn’t deny” as the reason for his opinion.

Corbyn has struggled to defuse harsh criticism about anti-Semitism leveled at both him and the party in the lead-up to the vote.

While voicing his disapproval of all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, Corbyn declined repeatedly to apologize during a recent prime-time BBC interview for any anti-Semitism that has occurred in the Labour Party over the past few years.