New UK Solicitor General Under Fire over Hamas Meeting

Newly appointed British Solicitor General Andy Slaughter is facing criticism following the release of photographs from 2010, in which he is seen during a visit to Jerusalem with then MP Jeremy Corbyn in the company of individuals linked to the Palestinian movement Hamas.

According to The Telegraph, Slaughter took part in a trip to the Palestinian territories from 5 to 9 November 2010, organized by the groups Friends of Al-Aqsa and Middle East Monitor (MEMO). A now deleted MEMO report states that the delegation held talks with representatives of both Fatah and Hamas.

According to the newspaper, the photographs show Mohammed Totah, Ahmed Attoun and Khaled Abu-Arafeh, who held positions associated with Hamas. Opposition shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy called Slaughter's appointment a "disgrace" and accused him of sympathizing with Hamas.

The Telegraph also notes that Ismail Patel, founder of the organization Friends of Al-Aqsa, publicly stated in 2009 that he does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization. Slaughter has not yet issued a response to the published reports.

The Britain-Palestine All Party Group was led by then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who founded the fringe political movement "Your Party" after leaving the party.

(telegraph, sab)