Baroness Compares Attacks on Synagogue and Mosque
A former Tory foreign minister was reprimanded by her party chairman after likening the Palestinian ‘storming’ of an Israeli synagogue, which resulted in the deaths of four people, to Israeli extremists ‘storming’ a mosque in Jerusalem.
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, who made the statement on Twitter, said via her account: “Israeli extremists storm Al Aqsa & intimidate worshippers – Palestinian extremists storm synagogue & kill 4 worshippers.”
The ex Foreign Office Minister’s tweet sparked claims that she was comparing protests at a mosque to the murderous rampage of two Palestinian cousins armed with an axe and gun, who slaughtered a British-born father and three American citizens in a random dawn attack. The two men were shot dead by police following the attack.
Baroness Warsi, who left her post in August due to the government’s policy on Gaza, asked another Twitter user: “r u suggesting there is NO link (nt justification) between murders in the synagogue & the weeks of intimidation & attacks”, referring to the Israeli protests at the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
Baroness Warsi justified her tweet by insisting she was calling for “Justice for all” rather than “hypocrisy”.
“Both Palestinian & Israeli lives have been lost in recent weeks at the hands of extremists,” she wrote.
“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.”
Later, on the Huffington Post UK website, Baroness Warsi wrote: “These murders must be condemned. I condemn them, as I have loudly condemned previous instances of Palestinian violence against civilians.”
She added, “My successor as Conservative Party chairman, Grant Shapps, is only too willing to criticise Palestinian terror while refusing to vote in favour of a Palestinian state in parliament, and give young Palestinians hope and dignity.
“Remember: the indisputable lesson of modern Middle East history is that violence breeds violence.”
