Last Saturday, the annual European Palestinian Conference was held in Malmö. Israel has criticized the conference for having links to the terrorist organization Hamas. This caused politicians from the Left Party and the Green Party to cancel their participation, but Social Democratic MP Jamal El-Haj participated.
"I think it was wrong. Questions arose about the conference shortly before it would start, then our recommendation was not to participate, says Magdalena Andersson in Agenda.
The Jewish Youth League criticizes
The Social Democrats let Jamal El-Haj remain in the party and the Riksdag, but he has to take a break from the Foreign Affairs Committee.
"I regret that my party chooses to bow to outside pressure. The attempts to connect and equate me with the terrorist organization Hamas are out of touch with reality," he wrote on Facebook after the party's decision.
Nina Tojzner, general secretary of the Jewish Youth League, thinks that the Social Democrats should exclude Jamal El-Haj.
"We think he is legitimizing a terrorist organization by participating in this conference," she said.
"Should apologize to him"
But there is also criticism that the Social Democrats forced Jamal El-Haj to leave the Foreign Affairs Committee. The author Bernt Hermele also participated in the conference.
– It affects me very badly when you use "guilt by association". I think you should apologise to him. I think you should talk to people.
Andersson justifies the decision by saying that Jamal El-Haj violated the party's guidelines and that he is therefore allowed to take time out from the Foreign Affairs Committee.
"Because we take terrorism so seriously, we are using the precautionary principle here. It is debatable whether we have made the right decision or not. But there is no doubt that he has distanced himself from Hamas.
So he stays in the party?
–Obviously.
S has also received criticism from L. More about that in the clip above.