Israeli MP at Lib Dem conference says 'genocide' accusation makes her 'uncomfortable'
Israeli MP at Lib Dem conference says 'genocide' accusation makes her 'uncomfortable'
Israeli politician Shelly Tal Meron has claimed Israel does not target civilians and that accusations it is committing genocide at the Liberal Democrat party conference make her feel “uncomfortable”.
The third largest party in the British parliament has become increasingly strident in its approach to the genocide in Gaza.
Just days ago party leader Ed Davey accused Israel of committing genocide for the first time.
He boycotted the royal banquet for Wednesday night in honour of visiting US President Donald Trump, in protest over his support for Israel's military operations in Gaza.
And Davey’s position was reflected in the mood at the party conference in Bournemouth, where a declaration that Israel is committing genocide received a huge round of applause from the crowd in the main hall on Saturday.
But the party’s pro-Israel group, Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel (LDFI), dissent from this approach.
On Sunday afternoon at a packed LDFI event at the Highcliff Marriott hotel, Meron - a member of the Israeli Knesset - said hearing accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza at the conference made her feel "uncomfortable".
In response to a question by Middle East Eye, she then defended Israel’s actions, denied it is committing genocide and claimed the Israeli military does not target civilians.
Meron is a member of the opposition Yesh Atid party, the Israeli sister party to the Liberal Democrats.
During the event, a Q&A session, LDFI chair Gavin Stollar falsely claimed that “there’s no press in Gaza”. He said there is a lack of trustworthy information coming out of the enclave beyond Hamas propaganda.
Around 250 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israel in Gaza, according to the UN human rights office.
Middle East Eye told Merron and Stollar that Israel killed MEE reporters Mohamed Salama and Ahmed Abu Aziz in a double-tap strike while they covered an Israeli attack on Nasser hospital in southern Gaza in late August.
MEE asked Meron whether she condemned Israel’s killing of "over 250 journalists in Gaza as part of its genocide".
She responded: "I oppose what you just said. There is no genocide and there is no intention to harm any civilians."
Meron also said "I oppose the word genocide", and that "there is no intentional genocide".
"There is no intention to purposely harm journalists or civilians and when I see people suffering I feel for them, and I'm sorry for that. But you have to remember also people are suffering and getting hurt within Israel."
Meron said "we [Israelis] are the first ones who know what it's like to get hurt by terrorists".
At another point in the event, Meron criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said he “won’t be able to build a coalition” at the general election next November.
“My daughter was just enlisted less than a year ago,” she said. “We need the IDF [Israeli Defence Force] to exist.”
'Centrist liberal democratic party'
She claimed her party is a “centrist liberal democratic party” (there was a lone cheer from someone in the audience).
“The international media is speaking about Gaza but they’re not speaking about what is happening in Israel,” she complained.
“People run to air raid shelters everyday… we’re a traumatised nation.”
The Israeli military has destroyed more than 70 percent of the buildings in Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera. More than 64,000 people have been killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, according to the enclave's health ministry.
Over 10,000 more are missing and presumed dead. At least 18,000 of those killed were children.
Meron further claimed textbooks in Gaza schools run by Unrwa, the UN’s agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, “teach [Palestinian children] to hate Jews”.
She condemned the British government for recognising a Palestinian state that same day, accusing it of “rewarding Hamas”. She said “there is no infrastructure for the state”.
Lord Palmer of Childs Hill stood up towards the end of the event and said “we want the hostages back” and “massive aid into Gaza".
Most of the crowd appeared supportive of Meron but multiple attendees told MEE they were unhappy with her comments.
One Liberal Democrat party member said "there was no real concern shown for how awful it is for Palestinians".
Another added that she felt "intensely uncomfortable". She said there was a "dissonance between Liberal Democrat values and what was said in the room. The IDF represented a model army to Meron."
