Last Saturday, the annual European Palestinian conference was held in Malmö. Israel has criticized the conference for having links to the terrorist organization Hamas. This caused politicians from the Left Party and the Green Party to cancel their participation, but the Social Democratic Member of Parliament Jamal El-Haj participated.
– I think it was wrong. There were questions about the conference shortly before it was to start, so our recommendation was not to participate, says Magdalena Andersson in Agenda.
The Jewish Youth Association presents criticism
S allows Jamal El-Haj to remain in the party and the Riksdag, but he may take a break from the foreign affairs committee.
“I regret that my party chooses to succumb to outside pressure. The attempts to connect and equate me with the terrorist organization Hamas are far from reality,” he wrote on Facebook after the party’s decision.
Nina Tojzner, general secretary of the Jewish Youth Federation, thinks S should exclude Jamal El-Haj.
– We think he legitimizes a terrorist organization by participating in this conference, she says.
“Should apologize to him”
But there will also be criticism of the fact that the Social Democrats forced Jamal El-Haj to leave the foreign affairs committee. The author Bernt Hermele also participated in the conference.
– It affects me very badly when you use “guilt by association”. I think you should apologize to him. I think you should talk to people.
Andersson justifies the decision by saying that Jamal El-Haj violated the party’s guidelines and that he must therefore take time out from the foreign affairs committee.
– Because we take terrorism so seriously, we use the precautionary principle here. One can debate whether we made the right decision or not. But there is no doubt that he has distanced himself from Hamas.
So he stays in the party?
– Obvious.
S has also received criticism from L. More about that in the clip above.