A fringe event at Labour conference has defended inviting the co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement to speak on a panel.

Palestinian activist Omar Barghouti has been criticised for his opposition to the two-state solution, instead advocating a single “secular, democratic state... offering unequivocal equality in citizenship and individual and communal rights both to Palestinians (refugees included) and to Israeli Jews.” He has also termed it a “unitary state”.

In an essay written in 2012, Mr Barghouti rejected not only a Jewish state but also a bi-national state, saying that such an entity would mean recognising national Jewish rights and therefore “imply accepting their right to self-determination”.

Professor Alan Johnson, editor of Bicom's journal, Fathom, said: "The real-world meaning of Barghouti's 'unitary state'  - which is unwanted by both Israelis and Palestinians, by the way - is the violent end of the one Jewish national home on the planet.  

"The land between the river and the sea would become another Arab state and Jewish national self-determination would end. The ramparts which the IDF stand atop would fall. Barghouti claims to believe that the Jews would do just fine in this new dispensation, as a national minority in today's Arab Middle East!

"The Jews will never consent to give up their national home, so Barghouti’s real programme is, in my view, conquest, albeit in two stages. First, the BDS movement is to isolate Israel from its allies. Second, the local hard men, Jeremy Corbyn's 'friends' and 'brothers', are to take Israel out." 

Mr Barghouti is due to discuss the suppression of “the democratic mobilising of those working for progressive causes” by the British state and non-state actors at The World Transformed (TWT) – an annual fringe programme at Labour conference.

The party conference, which will take place in Brighton next week, is not associated with TWT in an official capacity.

Members of the shadow cabinet, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, have made appearances at TWT in recent years.

A spokesman for the festival said: “Omar Barghouti is one of a number of internationally recognised human rights defenders we have at this year's festival, which features a range of distinguished speakers representing struggles from across the Global South.

“Mr Barghouti has spoken extensively at universities, festivals and events around the world to defend the rights of the Palestinian people as recognised by international laws. We look forward to hearing his perspective at this year's TWT festival."