Corbyn’s right-hand man said Brits who fight for Israel should lose passports – but Labour want ISIS teen to keep hers
John McDonnell suggested UK citizens in the Israeli Defence Force could be stripped of their passports
JEREMY Corbyn's closest ally has called for Brits who fought for Israel to lose their passports, it emerged today.
The revelation comes despite Labour saying ISIS teen Shamima Begum should be allowed back to Britain.
Mr Corbyn said the 19-year-old jihadist should be given "support" and not have her citizenship revoked.
But in 2014, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell suggested British citizens in the Israeli military should be at risk of having their passports stripped.
He wrote to Theresa May, then the Home Secretary, and asked her to take action against UK-Israeli dual nationals.
Mr McDonnell suggested they may have been implicated in war crimes related to the Israeli Defence Force's campaigns in Gaza.
MAY LETTER
He said: "I am aware of the Government’s policy of detaining and prosecuting those British citizens travelling to fight in the current Middle East conflicts.
"Will you be warning any British citizens considering engagement with the IDF that, in line with established British Government practice (e.g. the deprivation of British citizenship from, to date, at least 40 UK passport holders who have been involved in the Syrian civil war), such engagement may put their British citizenship in jeopardy?
"Given the seriousness of the current situation in Gaza and the apparent escalation of the Israeli attacks on Palestinians, I urge you to address these questions promptly so that any British citizen currently participating or planning to participate in these attacks is warned of the potential consequences and thus may be deterred from acting in this way."
The letter, revealed by the Guido Fawkes blog, was deleted from Mr McDonnell's website some time after he became Shadow Chancellor.
A Labour spokesman said: "This was at the height of the barbaric bombing and attacks on Gaza when hundreds of Palestinian men, women and children were being killed.
"This is a simple statement of law and standard practice by the government aimed at deterring and pointing out the risks involved in British citizens joining any foreign conflict. For those holding joint citizenship it does not entail making them stateless."
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Yesterday Mr Corbyn sparked anger by backing Begum's right to return to the UK despite fleeing four years ago to join ISIS.
He said: "She was born in Britain, she has that right to remain in Britain and obviously a lot of questions she has to answer but also some support that she needs."
The Labour boss was accused of siding with Britain's enemies after his controversial intervention.
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