Palestinian who compared Israel to Nazis to speak in UK
Iyad Burnat, who is due to speak in Newcastle, has been accused of posting anti-Semitic messages
Justin Cohen is the News Editor at the Jewish News
A Palestinian activist who has compared Israel to the Nazis and suggested “the Zionists” have “identified” the next American president is to address a branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Iyad Burnat, who is due to speak at an event hosted by Newcastle PSC later this month, is the coordinator of the Bil’in popular resistance committee which has organised weekly protests in the West Bank village for several years. A Facebook page for the event says he will also launch his new book on “occupation and resistance in Palestine”.
However, it has emerged that a series of incendiary messages have been posted on Burnat’s social media account in event months. One, accompanied by an image of Benjamin Netanyahu with his arm outstretched and wearing a Hitler-style moustache, said: “Three aspects of modern organized terrorism in which many similarities emerged and is Nazism and Zionism and (ISIS) Daash.”
Another said: “To the American people do not bother to vote in the elections. The Zionists had identified the next president.”
The Community Security Trust’s Mark Gardner said: “This seems to be another example of supposed anti-Zionism that is in fact antisemitic. PSC say they oppose such attitudes, so let us see what action they now take.”
In June, Jeremy Corbyn called for Hitler and Nazi metaphors to be left out of discourse on Israel during the release of Labour’s inquiry on anti-Semitism. It’s unclear whether the Labour leader remains a patron of PSC, though he is still listed as as such on the groups website.
The PSC says on its website that discrimination against Jews based on their religion or ethnicity must be challenged. But it opposes the EUMC definition of anti-Semitism, arguing its adoption would “deny people the right to challenge the racism of the Israeli state – which privileges the rights of jewish citizens above those of non-Jews”.
Gary Spedding, a cross-party consultant on Israel-Palestine, told the Jewish News the recent posts left him “deeply troubled” and, while he doesn’t believe him to be anti-Semitic, “the posts can only be described as anti-semitic”.
Spedding – who said the Palestinians have legitimate grievances yields Israeli policy and countries that support it – said: “lyad is a proven nonviolence leader who has worked for over a decade with Israeli activists in order to challenge the occupation. I do, however, find that he has possibly seen western activists posting this kind of material and partly adopted it himself. I’ve known him since 2010 and haven’t previously seen him doing this type of social media posting until just recently.”
“I am outraged at the fact anti-Semitic rhetoric is being pushed onto Palestinians by a minority of unrepresentative western activists who seem to be more motivated by hatred of Jews than any genuine solidarity with the Palestinian people. It is important to challenge these individuals at every opportunity, making clear that anti-Semitism, group-blame and conspiracy theories have no place in Palestine solidarity.”
The PSC have been approached for comment
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
