Statement in solidarity with Palestinian Councillor Kamel Hawwash

Introduction

Kamel Hawwash, a well respected former Engineer and University Professor, is the first Palestinian elected to Birmingham City Council in May 2026. For many years he was the Chair of the UK Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Within Birmingham’s new Green and Liberal Democratic administration, Kamel, a Green Party member, was given the Cabinet responsibility for Children, Young People and Families.  This has resulted in a vile backlash from Zionists who, as usual, erroneously, claim to speak on behalf of “the” Jewish community. We responded to the report on the attack in this Birmingham Live article, which was headed “Palestinian councillor in new Birmingham coalition cabinet under fire over ‘antisemitism’ ” (Their quote marks not mine)

As well as the local press, this “story” has been picked up by GB News, the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, ITV have carried his rejection of the attack on their website but also repeated the allegations, eg that he supported the Hamas attack on October 7^th 2023 and that he is antisemitic.

JVL stands in solidarity with Kamel and this is the letter we wrote to which we are awaiting a response; subsequently a Joint Statement of Solidarity with Kamel Hawwash has been issued, to which we were glad to add our name.

I write on behalf of Jewish Voice for Liberation (JVL) to express our concern at your coverage of attacks on Birmingham City Councillor, Kamel Hawwash.  You report as fact allegations of antisemitism against him without any credible evidence.  We see this as just the latest in barrage of attempts to silence pro-Palestinian voices. In the case of Cllr Hawwash, his attackers are trying to prevent a respected British Palestinian from making a full contribution to the city of Birmingham where he has worked for many years, where he belongs and to all of whose people he is very committed.

Many of us involved in JVL know Cllr Hawwash personally and have always found him to be sensitive, compassionate and without a trace of hostility to Jewish people. As a Palestinian and a humanitarian, it is natural that he would campaign for full rights for the Palestinian people and oppose Israel’s brutal military occupation in the West Bank and in Gaza. Israel’s actions since October 2023 have pulverised Gaza, killing at least 72,000 people, overwhelmingly women and children. Despite a supposed ceasefire in the past few months, many hundreds more have been killed. Most are living in tents, their homes destroyed, deprived of access to almost everything needed to be able to live a dignified and healthy life.

This reality and context has directly impacted Cllr Hawwash and his family and yet is not mentioned in your coverage. Quotes attributed to him are taken entirely out of context, misinterpreted and even misattributed. It is not antisemitism to refer to  Zionism – the ideology of the Israeli state –  as  “Jewish Supremacy”. We see this as a fact born out by discriminatory laws which deny to Palestinians rights of citizenship granted to every Jew, regardless of whether they have any connection with the land.

Equally, recognising Hamas as a liberation movement is not antisemitic, nor is it the same as supporting that organisation. This is another example of Cllr Hawwash’s words being twisted to mean what they do not.

We fully recognise that many Jewish people are fearful in the face of rising antisemitism, especially following the lethal attack in Manchester and dreadful attacks on Jewish people and property in Golders Green. However, conflating antisemitic attacks with support for Palestinians is both wrong and dangerous. 

At a time when the state of Israel is joined with Donald Trump’s US in destabilising the entire West Asia region while continuing a merciless genocide against the Palestinian people, smears designed to silence solidarity with Palestine deserve to be treated with contempt. Antisemitism is real and rising, along with all forms of racism being normalised by mainstream politicians and media. We reject any suggestion that suppressing pro-Palestinian voices benefits Jews.

We await your response with interest and trust that this can be published in your newspaper.