Jamal El-Haj, a member of the Social Democratic Party in Sweden, is facing accusations of having ties to Hamas following the recent attacks in Israel. The Social Democrat has remained silent on the matter but continues to work on the Palestinian issue in parliament. During a debate on Sunday, the leader of the Sweden Democrats, Jimmie Åkesson, attacked the Social Democrats, the Left Party, and the Green Party, claiming that their condemnations of Hamas attacks in Israel are not reliable. Åkesson specifically mentioned Jamal El-Haj, who attended a Palestine conference in Malmo this summer, alongside the chairman, Amin Abu Rashid, who is said to have had connections to Hamas. The Moderate Party also demanded further action from the Social Democrats, stating that El-Haj has not yet distanced himself from the attacks in Israel. El-Haj has taken a timeout from his role on the parliamentary foreign affairs committee but continues to work as a member of parliament. However, he has chosen not to be available for interviews or answer questions despite several requests from Aftonbladet. El-Haj has recently submitted two parliamentary motions regarding the relationship between Israel and Palestine. In one of the motions, he states that Hamas is a terrorist movement, born out of extreme circumstances, and whose goals they do not share. He demands that Israel withdraw from the West Bank and that the Swedish government work within the EU and the UN to prevent the ongoing annexation of occupied Palestinian territory. The motion, signed by several high-ranking members of the Social Democrats, including Annika Strandhäll and Peter Hultqvist, advocates for a two-state solution. Magdalena Andersson, the leader of the Social Democrats, has defended Jamal El-Haj, stating that he has consistently labeled Hamas as a terrorist organization throughout his political career. In the second motion, El-Haj addresses Nakba Day, demanding that it should be commemorated in Sweden. Nakba, which means ”the catastrophe”, refers to the displacement and expulsion of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The motion states that the establishment and history of the state of Israel are perceived as an ongoing abuse against Palestinians by over twelve million Palestinians worldwide.
