Anti-Trump London Mayor Sadiq Khan Hosts Party With Countries That Ban Israelis
London Mayor Sadiq Khan threw a City Hall party last night with dignitaries from 11 nations that ban citizens of Israel from entering in attendance.
The mayor aggressively opposes President Trump generally and in particular Trump’s temporary travel ban for seven Middle Eastern countries that were identified by the predecessor Obama administration as high risk.
Khan, a Brexit foe who publicly expressed support for Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential election, has also insisted that Prime Minister Theresa May cancel the formal invitation extended to Trump to visit the U.K. because of the president’s travel ban.
Elected in May of 2016 after serving about 11 years as a member of parliament for the Labor Party, Sadiq Khan is the first London mayor of the Muslim faith.
The countries that ban entry for those persons holding Israeli passports are Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
The U.K. political blog Guido Fawkes published the revelation about the party attendees yesterday.
“Just hours after demanding the government rescinds its invite to President Trump over his travel ban, Sadiq Khan will tonight host a City Hall reception with 11 dignitaries whose countries bar Israeli citizens from entering… All 11 of these countries block travel to Israeli passport holders. Khan will use tonight’s party to criticize Trump’s ban as ‘cruel, prejudiced and counterproductive.’ While dining with 11 diplomats whose countries have done the same for years…”
In his speech at the reception for 100-plus diplomats from around the world, Mayor Khan said, in part, that “targeting people for no reason other than their faith or their country of birth is cruel, prejudiced and counterproductive,” the Evening Standard of London reported.
Former Ukip leader and Brexit mastermind Nigel Farage, a Trump ally, called out Khan on Twitter for hypocrisy insofar as the Jewish state is concerned.
You want Trump banned from UK but are happy with anti-Israeli discrimination. You are a hypocrite @SadiqKhan. https://t.co/kXy5EDxpSA
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) January 31, 2017
Why are there 11 diplomats from nations that ban Jewish Israelis at your meeting tonight? Why don't you oppose them? Hypocrite. https://t.co/n8Ql704TqD
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) January 31, 2017
Parenthetically, the British parliament, the House of Commons, today gave preliminary approval to a measure giving Prime Minister May the authority to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which formally begins the Brexit process, i.e., for the U.K. to officially leave the European Union, CNN noted.
Also in parliament today, May denounced the discrimination against Israelis by those countries, Israel National News reported.
According to Breitbart London, there are five other countries that prohibit people from Israel: Algeria, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
“Moreover, six of the seven nations affected by the temporary travel ban to the U.S. are among those who block travel by Israeli passport holders.”
Ukip London Assemblyman Peter Whittle accused the mayor of selective outrage.
“Will the Mayor use this occasion to speak out against the 11 countries that permanently ban Israelis? Of course he won’t. Will he rescind their invites to this party, just as he’s calling for the state visit to be stopped? Of course he won’t….”
Nigel Farage hits out at "hypocrite" Sadiq Khan for hosting diplomats from 11 countries who have banned Israelis #FarageOnLBC pic.twitter.com/9cXYLHMroY
— LBC (@LBC) February 1, 2017
A rep for the mayor says that Khan now believes that any nationality or religious-based travel ban “is shameful and cruel,” the Daily Mail reported. The spokesman added that “[Khan] used last night’s reception to call for greater global values of tolerance, diversity, and freedom.”
Sadiq Kahn also advocated for imposing sanctions against Israel but reversed course when he ran for London mayor, the Jewish Chronicle of London indicated in March of 2016, which added that Khan promised to refrain from using his City Hall megaphone to discuss foreign affairs.
The Labor Party in the U.K. has been subject to several recent internal investigations for anti-Semitism on the part of office holders and party operatives, the New York Times detailed.
The wrath of Khan, as it were, has also been directed at social media in a government initiative to root out online hate speech. Upon coming into office, Sadiq Khan also banned advertisements throughout the London subway system that promote an “unhealthy body image.”
[Featured Image by Frank Augstein/AP Images]
