A former Labour MP and ally of Jeremy Corbyn has branded calls for one council to fly the Israeli flag in “solidarity” with its people as “divisive and disrespectful”.
Emma Dent Coad rubbished the proposal for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to fly the flag above the town hall, following a motion put forward by Conservative councillor Sonia Zvedeniuk.
The idea was also condemned by councillor Mona Ahmed, who quit the Labour party this week in protest over leader Sir Keir Starmer’s support for Israel’s actions against Hamas.
The borough is home to the Israeli Embassy, which was the target of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the wake of the October 7 terrorist atrocities.
Speaking at a full council meeting, Cllr Zvedeniuk said: “I know that most people in the Jewish community in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea will know someone affected by these atrocities and I hope that we can fly the Israeli flag above the town hall to show solidarity, as other Government departments and local councils have done.
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Former Labour MP Emma Dent Coad (Photo: Getty)
“It is impossible to come to terms with the barbaric terror we have seen … committed against Israeli civilians and UK nationals by Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organisation.”
In a later tweet, Cllr Ahmed called the proposal “disturbingly one-sided” and accused Israel’s army of being engaged in “human rights abuses and indiscriminate killing of Palestinians”.
Cllr Ahmed is one of scores of Labour councillors to quit the party this week. In her resignation letter she said Sir Keir’s support for Israel’s actions in Gaza “amount to the endorsement of war crimes”.
Cllr Ahmed’s views were re-posted Cllr Emma Dent Coad. The former Labour MP for Kensington between 2017 and 2019, quit the party in April, branding it “unrecognisable” under Starmer’s leadership.
In her re-post Cllr Dent Coad, who now sits as an independent, said Cllr Zvedeniuk’s comments were “divisive and disrespectful in a v diverse council”.
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