A Liberal Democrat MP has taken to twitter in an apparent backing of the actions of Hamas against Israel. David Ward said that he was “sick” of Israel claiming the right to defend itself and he implied that Israel was to blame for the attacks on its citizens as the Hamas rocket attacks were a result of their “failure” to be able to deal with the country.
Mr Ward said: “Sick of mantra “#Israel has the right to defend itself” – #Palestinians av same right! #Gaza rockets because of failure dealing with Israel”.
Ward has been in trouble before for his anti-Israeli rhetoric. In January 2013, he was forced to apologise for blogging on Holocaust Memorial day: “I am saddened that the Jews, who suffered unbelievable levels of persecution during the Holocaust, could within a few years of liberation from the death camps be inflicting atrocities on Palestinians in the new State of Israel and continue to do so on a daily basis in the West Bank and Gaza.”
He was later asked if it was racist to interchange Jews with Israelis when making such serious allegations, given that they are not the same. He said: “I’m accusing the Jews who did it, so if you’re a Jew and you did not do it I’m not accusing you. I’m saying that those Jews who did that and continue to do it have not learned those lessons.”
His comments are likely to infuriate moderates who point out that Israel did not start the war with Hamas. There will now be fears that his comments may embolden the militants and lead to even greater bloodshed.
But Ward is not the only senior Liberal Democrat to get into trouble for appearing to back terrorism against Isreal. In January 2004 Jenny Tonge was forced to resign as the party’s children’s spokeswoman after saying of Palestinian suicide bombers: “If I had to live in that situation – and I say that advisedly – I might just consider becoming one myself.”
Tonge refused to apologise: “I was just trying to say how, having seen the violence and the humiliation and the provocation that the Palestinian people live under every day and have done since their land was occupied by Israel, I could understand…”
Ward’s comments come just days after a series of protests against Israel by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Socialist Worker in London. These included a huge march on the Israeli Embassy and even a super-car rally outside Harrods.
Pro-zionists groups held their own, much smaller, demonstration on Sunday as reported on Breitbart London this rally was attacked and one man was injured.
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