The Liberal Democrats are considering whether to withdraw the whip from David Ward, MP for Bradford East, after he seemed to compare the murder of six million Jews to the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza in the run up to Holocaust Memorial Day. He made the comparison on his website yesterday:
Having visited Auschwitz twice – once with my family and once with local schools – 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 later issued a statement in which he attempted to "clarify" this:
The Holocaust was one of the worst examples in history of man’s inhumanity to man. When faced with examples of atrocious behaviour, we must learn from them. It appears that the suffering by the Jews has not transformed their views on how others should be treated.
Both of these statements are so offensive I hope he does lose the whip. But had Ward expressed himself more delicately and confined his remarks to the State of Israel rather than "the Jews", I doubt his career would be in any danger. The truth is that many people on the liberal Left believe there's something morally abhorrent about Israel and often draw parallels between Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and the Nazis' treatment of the Jews. (To read more, click here.)
Re: Lid Dem MP David Ward
Posted by Nicole Sochor on 25-01-2013 19:08:
Well done Toby Young for calling David Ward and the anti-Semitic Liberal left to account. The Coalition must disassociate itself publicly from his profoundly wrong and bigoted opinions.
Re: Lid Dem MP David Ward
Posted by James Jones on 27-01-2013 09:35:
Just a question: does questioning some of the Israeli governments more extreme policies necessarily have to be anti-Semitic or liberal? I vote conservative, fully support Israel's right to exist and defend itself but having travelled in widely in Israel find the settlement policies very hard to defend. This is something that should be discussed more in public and it is a shame you have chosen this complex and important subject to make a cheap political point.
Re: Lid Dem MP David Ward
Posted by antonia bell on 27-01-2013 15:35:
This sort of reminds me of the type of propaganda that exists that ensures that people confuse refugees with illegal immigrants.
Tiresome, boring, predictable article jumping on a bandwagon wheeled by the powerful.
Re: Lid Dem MP David Ward
Posted by Kerri on 29-01-2013 22:09:
Strange no re publishing of cartoons in the name of free speech
RT @katieodonovan: Twitter can you help? Left my wallet on northern line train (sbound) at Ldn Brdge 1730. Think someone shouted at me. Pls… (10 hours ago)
