Tragedies are often the moment when statesmen are at their best. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen from the response to yesterday’s attacks by Hamas on Israel, they can also show politicians at their worst. Below are five of the more insensitive, tone-deaf and even downright offensive reactions to the tragedy that is unfolding in the Middle East…
Jeremy Corbyn
Where else to start? Step forward Jeremy Corbyn, the man who sinks to every occasion. The Right Honourable Member for Islington North reacted to the Hamas attack with his signature blend of cynicism and equivocation, declaring that:
The unfolding events in Israel and Palestine are deeply alarming. We need an immediate ceasefire and urgent de-escalation. And we need a route out of this tragic cycle of violence: ending the occupation is the only means of achieving a just and lasting peace.
No word on who to blame eh Jezza?
Apsana Begum MP
The hard-left Labour MP posed with the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign Group (PSC) yesterday afternoon, just five hours after it had announced a protest outside the Israeli embassy, blaming the terror attacks on Israel’s own behaviour.
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