Bradford – The Bradford MP Naz Shah has stepped down as the parliamentary
private secretary to the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, over antisemitic Facebook
posts.
In a series of social media posts, Shah said Israeli Jews should be “relocated” to the US and
posted an article that likened Zionism to al-Qaida.
Shah has since apologised, saying: “I deeply regret the hurt I
have caused.” It emerged later that she had stepped down as PPS to McDonnell.
Shah, who was elected MP for Bradford West
last May, shared a picture of Israel’s outline superimposed on to a map of the
US under the headline “Solution for Israel-Palestine Conflict – Relocate Israel
into United States”, with the comment “problem solved”.
In the post shared in 2014 – nine months before Shah became an
MP – it went on to say that Americans would “welcome Israelis with open arms”
and that the relocation would bring peace to the Middle East by ending “foreign
interference”.
The post suggested the US had “plenty of land” to accommodate Israel as
a 51st state, allowing Palestinians to “get their life and their land back”.
Alongside the post, Shah added a smiley-face emoji and suggested
she would lobby the prime minister to adopt the plan.
It added that Israeli people would be welcome and safe in the
US, while the “transportation cost” would be less than three years’ worth of
Washington’s support for Israeli defence spending.
Shah added a note suggesting the plan might “save them some
pocket money”.
After the posting was highlighted by the Guido Fawkes website,
Shah released a statement in which she said: “This post from two years ago was
made before I was an MP, does not reflect my views and I apologise for any
offence it has caused.”
Shah is a member of the House of Commons home affairs select committee,
which is conducting an inquiry into the rise of antisemitism.
In a statement released by the Labour party,
she confirmed her resignation as McDonnell’s PPS. She said: “I deeply regret
the hurt I have caused by comments made on social media before I was elected as
an MP.
“I made these posts at the height of the Gaza conflict in 2014,
when emotions were running high around the Middle East conflict. But that is no
excuse for the offence I have given, for which I unreservedly apologise.
“In recognition of that offence I have stepped down from my role
as PPS to the shadow chancellor John McDonnell. I will be seeking to expand my
existing engagement and dialogue with Jewish community organisations, and will
be stepping up my efforts to combat all forms of racism, including antisemitism.”
Jonathan Sacerdoti, director of communications at the Campaign
Against Antisemitism, said it would be hard for his organisation to take the
parliamentary committee’s inquiry into the rise of antisemitism seriously if
Shah remained part of it.
“One cannot simply apologise for ‘any offence caused’ and expect
a evidence of gross and brazen antisemitism to disappear,” Sacerdoti said.
“Once again the Labour party has been revealed to have within
its ranks people who express extreme prejudice towards Jewish people in their
public statements. Once again the party has failed to find these statements
itself, and reject those who freely and willingly express them.
“How can we believe Labour when it says it takes the problem of
Jew-hatred seriously when it repeatedly defends antisemitic MPs? It seems that
Jeremy Corbyn’s anti-racism policy only operates when convenient.”
Sacerdoti added: “We have offered to assist the select committee
in its work investigating antisemitism. However, if Naz Shah remains on the committee
it will be hard for those of us giving evidence to take the inquiry seriously.”
