British MP creates storm with Gaza rocket tweet

[abomokhtar]

'The big question is - if I lived in #Gaza would I fire a rocket? - probably yes,' Liberal Democrat David Ward wrote

A British politician from the ruling coalition has created a national storm after tweeting that if he lived in the Gaza Strip he would probably fire rockets too.

On Tuesday, Liberal Democrat David Ward tweeted "The big question is - if I lived in #Gaza would I fire a rocket? - probably yes."

The tweet was met with a barrage of both criticism and support on the social media site.

Ward - the MP for Bradford East in England's north - followed up the tweet with: "Ich bin ein #palestinian - the West must make up its mind - which side is it on?."

A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said in a statement that leader Nick Clegg had been at the forefront of calling for peace in Israel and Gaza, and therefore utterly condemned Ward's comments.

"They are not representative of the Liberal Democrats," he said, adding that the matter was "very serious" and being treated as a "disciplinary issue."

The opposition Labor party, meanwhile, called Ward "irresponsible."

"At a time when all sides should be working for a ceasefire and a peaceful settlement, it defies belief that a Liberal Democrat MP should tweet something so vile and irresponsible," it said in a statement

The Liberal Democrat MP has been in hot water before with his party for expressing similar pro-Palestinian sentiment.

In July last year, he was suspended for tweeting: "Am I wrong or are am I right? At long last the Zionists are losing the battle - how long can the apartheid State of Israel last?"

Ward has received messages of support from the local Muslim community, the Muslim Public Affairs Committee tweeting Wednesday: "RESPECT! @DavidWardMP not afraid to share his views on Palestine."

Israel's military operation, dubbed "Operation Protective Edge," is its third major offensive against the densely populated Gaza Strip – home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – within the last six years.

The Palestinian death toll from Israel's ongoing offensive against the Gaza Strip has risen to 655 following fresh Israeli attacks on the blockaded enclaveWednesday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry


https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/ne...a-rocket-tweet.