ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT

By JERRY LEWIS \ Jerusalem Post

11/19/2014 14:38

Ex-UK minister sparks anger with pro-Palestinian tweet after synagogue terror
attack
Sayeeda Warsi, who resigned over the UK government's Gaza policy this past
summer, strikes again, flocking to twitter to draw a parallel between terrorists
and Israelis visiting the Temple Mount.

Sayeeda Warsi. (photo credit:REUTERS)

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Former UK Foreign Office Minister and previous Conservative Party Chairman
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi started a social media storm after she tweeted a message
that clearly implied equivalence between the Har Nof terrorists and Israelis
protesting over Temple Mount.
The controversial politician, who - until her resignation in protest at Government
policy which she complained was far too tolerant of Israels action in defending itself

against Hamas rocketry during the recent Gaza war - had been the highest ranked
Muslim in British politics with a seat at the Cabinet table.
But her outburst, just hours after the terrorist atrocity, led to a sharp rebuke from
her successor as Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps who tweeted that Warsi
only spoke for herself and not for their Party.
In her initial message Warsi wrote, Israeli extremists storm Al Aqsa & intimidate
worshipers, Palestinian extremists storm synagogue & kill 4 worshipers #Tragic
#peacenotwar.
So angered by her tweet, leading communal activists and former CEO of the Jewish
Leadership Council, Jeremy Newmark, immediately responded expressing his shock at
what he termed her warped tweet by challenging her as to whether she had
intended to draw a parallel between Jewish protesters at Al Aqsa and the two
terrorists responsible for the Har Nof attack, and in effect, was seeking to attempt
to justify terrorism.
Warsi replied to Newmark demanding to know if he was suggesting there is NO link
(no justification) between the murders in the Synagogue & the weeks of intimidation
and attacks.
She added: Both David Cameron & Ed Miliband say a Palestinian life is equal to an
Israeli life so let's ALL condemn the killing on BOTH sides.
Condemnation of her tweets swiftly followed from the Zionist Federation, to which
Warsi - who had also served in Government as minister for faith and communities directly responded writing: ZionistFed both Palestinian & Israeli lives have been lost
in recent weeks at the hands of extremists, Condemn both #Peace not #Hypocrisy.
A number of other Jewish community leaders and organizations joined the
condemnation of the former Minister.
Board of Deputies vice-president Alex Brummer said: Baroness Warsis response to
the dastardly and cowardly attack on Jews at prayer in the sanctuary of a synagogue
in Jerusalem is totally unacceptable.
As a former Cabinet and member of the House of Lords she has a responsibility to
condemn the attack without any qualifications. Her failure to do so is disgraceful and
can only encourage extremists in diabolical behaviour that runs totally counter to
that expected of a civilized society.
Newmarks successor JLC chief executive Simon Johnson said: It is irresponsible of
her to suggest any equivalence between any actions on Temple Mount, and the

entering of a place of worship to murder innocent people engaged in the act of

prayer. Such comments do her discredit and we call on her to withdraw.
Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard made clear his view, The timeline of
Sayeeda Warsi after the synagogue murders is jaw dropping. To think she was once a
minister in the FCO
Meanwhile a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in London said: Warsis unfortunate
remarks, equating Jews visiting a holy site with terrorists murdering praying
worshipers, are morally reprehensible and shameful.
Warsi, who had been sacked by Prime Minister David Cameron as Party Chairman two
years ago rarely disclosed in public her strong antipathy towards Israel but after her
resignation she complained about what she said was the UK's "morally indefensible"
position on the conflict in Gaza, accusing the coalition government of failing to act as
an "honest broker" in the Middle East and used the opportunity to call for an
immediate arms embargo against Israel.
But the strongest condemnation came from her successor as Conservative party
chairman Shapps who tweeted To be clear Sayeeda Warsi speaks for herself, not
the party. Our prayers are with those murdered. No Justification for terrorism.
In what has been described as an attempt to defend her original tweet on the
subject, Warsi issued a further comment but could not resist the opportunity of a
parting shot at Shapps accusing him of hypocrisy. She replied pointing out that both
Palestinian and Israeli lives have been lost in recent weeks at the hands of
extremists before adding There can never be justification for the killing of
innocent civilians Israeli or Palestinian. #justiceforall not #Hypocrisy.
Shapps she said later, was only willing to criticize Palestinian terror while refusing to
vote in favor of a Palestinian State and give young Palestinians hope and dignity.