Defence Minister Al Carns has hit out at the appointment of Birmingham Green Party’s deputy leader, who called a Hamas leader a martyr and compared a Hezbollah leader to Nelson Mandela, to a cabinet role.
Kamal Hawwash was made cabinet member for children, young people and families as part of a coalition between the Liberal Democrats, Green Party and independents to control Birmingham City Council.
Carns, a Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, took to social media to robustly criticise the appointment.
A Green councillor called Hamas founders "martyrs".
The Lib Dems made him cabinet member for children and families.
Birmingham deserves answers. pic.twitter.com/eNkW9nZBZO
In a video posted to X on Wednesday night, the decorated former Royal Marine colonel used screenshots of Hawwash’s social media posts as he questioned his suitability for office, lamenting that the Palestinian academic had “called the founder of Hamas a martyr”.
Carns went on: “He [Hawwash] called the co-founder of Hamas a martyr... and he compared the leader of Hezbollah to Nelson Mandela.
"And he claimed Israel killed its own people on October 7. This is not one bad tweet, it's not some simple mistake, this is years and years of it.”
The Military Cross recipient also attacked the Green Party for campaigning to elect Hawwash, accusing them of making light of his comments: “Here's what nobody wants to say out loud. The Green Party knew about this, now they selected him, they campaigned for him, and then they knocked on doors in our city asking you to vote for him.
“This is who the Greens are now. It's not about bins, it's not bike lanes, it's not the environment, it's this. They'll put a man who calls Hamas founders martyrs on your ballot paper and ask you to call a progressive.”
Carns also slammed the new Liberal Democrat leader of the council for agreeing to a coalition with the Greens in spite of Hawwash’s views.
“Roger Harmer, the Liberal Democrat leader of Birmingham Council … looked at all of this and he put him [Hawwash] in charge of children and families.
"So, Councillor Harmer, Birmingham has one of the largest Jewish communities outside London. You knew who he was, you handed him power and you handed him power despite everything you've seen. So I'll ask again, why?”
Hawwash has previously denied allegations that he praised the October 7 attacks, saying he “unequivocally condemns all attacks on civilians”.
"I reject claims of antisemitism. I am fully committed to standing up for all Birmingham’s diverse communities and working to ensure Birmingham is a welcoming place for all of them,” he told ITV Central.
The JC has reported that the Jewish community in Birmingham had urged the Liberal Democrats against the coalition, citing concern over what they described as Hawwash’s “hateful” views.
Carns also made reference to this, adding: “Birmingham deserves better than this and the Jewish families who built this city deserve an answer.”
Hawwash, a British-Palestinian university lecturer, had previously been a member of the Labour Party. At the 2024 General Election, he stood against Carns in Selly Oak as an independent candidate.
On his website, the commitment he listed first was to back “immediate recognition of Palestine – support the ICC and ICJ rulings for justice & peace”.
He subsequently joined the Green Party and in May won election to Stirchley ward on Birmingham City Council, which is located in Carns’ Selly Oak parliamentary constituency.
Richard Parker, the Labour Mayor of the West Midlands, also accused the council of ignoring the views of the city’s local Jewish community.
“At a time when antisemitism is on the rise, political leaders should be working to build confidence and bring communities together”, he told the JC.
And the JC also reported that Mumtaz Hussain, a Lib Dem councillor in Birmingham, who was a member of the safety advisory group that backed the decision to ban Israeli fans from their side’s clash against Aston Villa, was appointed as Hawwash’s deputy.
In response to criticism of the coalition with the Greens on Birmingham council, a Liberal Democrat spokesperson told the JC: "The Liberal Democrats stand unequivocally against antisemitism, and there is no place for hate or divisive rhetoric in our politics.
"The Green Party needs to take responsibility for the actions of their members and do far more to seriously tackle antisemitism within their own ranks.
"Decisions about local council arrangements are made entirely by local councillors on the ground, who know their communities best. The local election result in Birmingham means that parties have had to work together to deliver a functioning local government for the city's residents."
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson declined to comment, claiming that the issue of cabinet appointments to senior roles on the council was a party-political matter: “It's not for the council to issue a political response on their behalf.”
The Green Party and Kamal Hawwash have been contacted for comment.
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