Germany blocks Glasgow University’s anti-Israel rector from entry

“Silencing a witness to genocide before the ICJ adds to Germany's complicity in the ongoing massacre.”

The surgeon, who rose to prominence when he was interviewed by the BBC, Sky and CNN while working in Gaza during Israel’s current war against Hamas, has repeatedly praised Palestinian militants.

In a 2019 post to X/Twitter, he wrote: “You have all our loyalty in memory of the two heroes, the martyrs Miloud Ben Lumah and Khaled Aker. They landed in gliders into our occupied territories and killed 30 Zionist soldiers in an hour. Glory to the martyrs.”

The post appears to refer to a 1987 incident dubbed the Night of The Gliders, in which two members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command (PFLP-GC) used hang gliders to fly into Israel and kill several soldiers.

In 2014, the PFLP-GC was proscribed in Britain. The organisation, which fought on the side of the Assad regime during the Syrian civil war, has also been designated as a terror group by the United States and the European Union.

Writing for Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar in 2018, Abu-Sittah hailed Ahmad Jarrar, who masterminded the murder of father-of-six Rabbi Raziel Shevach in a drive-by shooting near Nablus, as one of Palestine’s “dearest and best sons” and a “hero”.

The doctor wrote: “The martyrdom of the resistance member Ahmed Nasr Jarrar, the hero of the Nablus operation, at the hands of the Zionist occupation army… like the hundreds of resistance fighters who were martyred at the hands of this satanic alliance, represents a pivotal moment.”

The doctor also previously spoke at a ceremony in Beirut commemorating the first anniversary of the death of Maher Al-Yamani, who co-founded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

As he wept amongst a crowd of mourners, Abu-Sittah hailed the late terror group founder for his success at striking fear into the hearts of Israelis.

Abu-Sittah previously told the JC: “While I may in the past have used emotive language at the funeral of a friend or following an extra-judicial killing, I vehemently oppose terrorism, and civilian casualties on all sides. As a surgeon, my vocation is preserving life and I repeat my calls for a sustainable ceasefire and lasting peace.”

His lawyers said that the doctor did not know that Jarrar had been involved in the killing of a rabbi and that he would never condone murder.

He was similarly not aware that Al-Yamani was accused of involvement in terrorism, they added.

They added that Dr Abu Sittah “abhors” anti-Jewish racism.

His lawyers added, in relation to the 2019 Night of the Gliders tweet, “our client does not recognise this post or recall having posted it”.

They also said it refers to a military exercise, the PFLP-GC was not proscribed at the time of the attack, and there is no link between this attack and October 7.

A Glasgow University spokesperson previously said: “The University recognises the concerns of Jewish students. Senior managers reached out to both JSoC and [the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities] the day after the election result to provide support and reassurance about student safety.”

The University of Glasgow has been contacted for comment.