Sir Keir Starmer visited the South Wales Islamic Center in Cardiff last weekend Photo: @Keir_Starmer
The Islamic Center visited by Sir Keir Starmer Last weekend he accused the Labor Party leader of “undermining his reputation” amid the conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Sir Keir met with believers at the Islamic Center of South Wales on Sunday and uploaded to social media photographs of him talking to those present.
But now the center has rebuked the opposition leader in a series of publications accusing him of “distorting” the event.
The center also condemned his reaction to the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip after terrorist attacks. Hamas.
Sir Keir tweeted on Sunday that he was “grateful to hear from the Islamic Center of South Wales' Muslim community”, adding that he echoed Labor Party calls for more humanitarian aid to reach Gaza and a “renewed focus on a two-state solution”.< /p>
I was glad to hear the opinion of the Muslim community of the Islamic Center of South Wales.
I repeated our calls for the release of all hostages and increased humanitarian assistance. enter the Gaza Strip to turn on water and electricity again and refocus on the two-state solution. pic.twitter.com/CkyPDDnXtp
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 22, 2023
He continued: “I was questioned by members of the organization and was deeply moved to hear their pain and horror at the suffering civilian population in the Gaza Strip. I have made it clear that I do not and have never believed that Israel has the right to cut off water, food, fuel or medicine. International law must be respected.”
But on Tuesday evening the Islamic Center of South Wales said its event was aimed at “raising concerns in the Muslim community about the suffering of Palestinians”, saying Sir Keir's presence had only been confirmed “at short notice”.
< It said: “Members of the community directly challenged Keir on his statements about the right of the Israeli government to cut off food, electricity and water supplies to Gaza, justifying war crimes, as well as his failure to call for an immediate ceasefire.”
< p >“We recognize that while our intention was to raise the issue of the Palestinians, unfortunately the result has brought the Islamic Center of South Wales and the wider Muslim community into disrepute.
“We express our dismay at Keir Starmer's social media post networks… We want to emphasize that the publication and images of Keir Starmer on social media seriously misrepresent our parishioners and the nature of the visit.”
In a previous statement, the center said: “It is better to face him than to avoid him. We voiced all our complaints and criticized him for what he said.”
Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales, was also present at the event.
Sir Keir continues to face backlash. from Muslim and left-wing members of the Labor Party after he appeared to suggest in an LBC interview that “Israel does have the right” to cut off electricity and water in Gaza.
Sir Keir has since denied he ever supported withholding aid to the Territory.
ITV reported on Wednesday morning that more than 150 Muslim Labor Party advisers had written directly to Sir Keir demanding that he calls for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
It comes after more than 30 Labor MPs signed a motion earlier in the day calling for a ceasefire, although Sir Keir's spokesman distanced himself party leadership from calls.
Labour has been contacted for comment.
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