Labour’s ‘apartheid Israel’ motion drafted by a son of Hamas official
Now the Jews have gone crazy, may God keep you safe
AN ANTI-ISRAEL resolution that was passed at Labour Party conference last month was drafted by the son of a Hamas health minister, the JC can reveal.
Omar Mofeed, the general secretary of the Arab Labour group and son of the late Hamas health minister Dr Mufid Mahlalati, was one of the those responsible for a controversial motion labelling Israel an “apartheid state”.
Mr Mofeed, an established Labour activist, has also been found to have posted messages on Facebook supporting Hamas terrorists such as Muhammad Abu Shamala, who was killed in Operation Protective Edge by the IDF in 2014.
Mr Mofeed also suggested kidnapping soldiers in one post and, in 2012, wrote on Facebook: “Now the Jews have gone crazy, may God keep you safe.”
Mr Mofeed also appeared to support the armed struggle of terror group Hamas with a meme showing tunnels used by its operatives ending at Temple Mount.
In other posts, he expresses support for the martyrdom of Muhammad Abu Shamala, a general in the Al-Qassam brigades of Hamas. He was killed by the IAF in a missile strike in August 2014.
When asked by the JC about his social media history, Mr Mofeed said: “All of these posts were made when I was young and living in Gaza under continuous siege and frequent bombardment, and having survived three wars and witnessed many relatives and friends killed. The language used reflects that context, which may be difficult to understand for anyone who has not experienced this trauma. Since I moved to the UK and became politically active, my thinking has evolved. These posts do not represent my views now.”
Mr Mofeed’s father was the health minister for the Hamas government in Gaza until his death in 2014. Several prominent Hamas figures were in attendance at the ceremony in Gaza city.
Mr Mofeed initially denied his father was a Hamas member, and then said: “My father died in 2014 when I was still young. He was a surgeon who did remarkable work, for which he is widely recognised in Palestine, building health services for the people of Gaza. I am deeply proud of the work that he did in caring for the health of others and his legacy is extremely important to me.”
Speaking to Al Jazeera after the Labour conference, Mr Mofeed called the passing of the motion a “historic day for Palestine” and said that if the leadership of the party did not support
it, it would be harder for Labour to win another General Election.
The motion, which Mr Mofeed boasted was supported by Young Labour, 12 trade unions, the PSC and Arab Labour, was passed on the conference floor.
The motion argued that a Labour government should stop selling arms to Israel, impose sanctions on the country and labelled it an “apartheid state”.
The motion was later disavowed by the leadership, which released a statement saying: “Labour’s policy is for a peaceful, negotiated two-state solution that ensures a sovereign Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.”
He also expressed support for a ‘martyred’ Hamas general