Jewish group attacks Plaid's Israel boycott call

Plaid Cymru's call to boycott Israel at its party conference has been criticised by a Welsh Jewish group.

The South Wales Jewish Representative Council (SWJRC) said it was "deeply disappointed" by the decision and pointed out the date coincided with Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Laurence Kahn, chair of the SWJRC, accused Plaid Cymru of lending justification to the 7 October attacks which were carried out by Hamas, the armed Palestinian group based in Gaza.

Plaid Cymru said it had been "resolute and unequivocal in condemning the horrific attacks carried out by Hamas on 7 October".

A motion backed at Plaid's conference by the party's four MPs and passed by party members described Israel as an "apartheid state" and accused it of "ethnic cleansing and war crimes".

The conference heard from the Palestinians' top envoy to the UK, Husam Zomlot, who called for Wales to pressure the UK government over Gaza.

About 1,200 people - mostly Israeli civilians - were killed in the Hamas 7 October attacks just over one year ago.

Hamas, which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by many Western governments, including the UK, also took 251 hostages, of which 97 remain unaccounted for.

Some 42,000 people have been killed as part of Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The vote on the motion was held on the second day of the conference, which was a Saturday and was when Yom Kippur was taking place.

The SWJRC said in a statement: "We are deeply disturbed by Plaid Cymru’s decision to call for a boycott of Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar".

Describing the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October as the "worst atrocities committed against Jews since the Holocaust", the council accused Plaid of lending "justification to these heinous acts of terror".

"Despite Plaid Cymru’s accusations of genocide, it was Hamas - not Israel - that deliberately targeted civilians on and after 7 October. This false equivalency is not only unjust but dangerously misleading."

The council accused Plaid of "pandering to extreme positions that not only alienate the Jewish community but also undermine the pursuit of genuine peace".

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said in response: “We have also been clear that the response of the Israeli state has been disproportionate and unjustified, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians in Gaza. We have consistently argued that international law must be upheld without fear or favour."

The spokesperson added: “As a party with a long and proud tradition of promoting peace, we are appalled at the suggestion that we encourage violence in any form and are deeply disappointed by this accusation.

"Plaid Cymru, as it always has done, will continue to make the case for an immediate ceasefire, a release of all hostages without delay, for halting arms sales, an end to hostilities by all parties, and for the intensification of diplomatic efforts to seek a stable and lasting peace for all the people of Israel and Palestine and the wider region."