Jewish members of the Labour Party are right to chide Livingstone and those in the party who wouldn't expel him for "enabling" anti-Semites to support Labour. But Livingstone, who in his pigheaded obstinacy didn't apologize, even after being found guilty of all charges and receiving his minor sentence, is doing us all a favor. (Some in Labour actually believe he's causing trouble out of envy that the much-less-talented Corbyn unexpectedly became party leader.)

The crass offensiveness of his tirades has made many more level-headed voices on the left admit that Jews, like any other minority, have a right to define for themselves what's abusive to them, and that while Zionism's merits and flaws can be discussed and disputed, ascribing any connection between Zionism and Nazism is anti-Semitic. The outrage Livingstone has caused on the British left has forced even his old friend Corbyn to limply repudiate him, and this case is now reverberating far beyond.

Anshel Pfeffer - Haaretz