Pro-Israel campaigners have called for a government investigation after it emerged Britain’s senior defence adviser on the Middle East had two meetings with a Palestinian politician accused of supporting alleged terrorists.
Vice Admiral Edward Ahlgren had two meetings earlier this year with Ramallah governor Laila Ghannam who, between their two encounters, boasted of having had the “honour” of presenting the doctoral thesis of Yasser Abu Bakr, convicted in an Israeli court of a terror attack in Netanya in 2002.
Ghannam has also been accused of having met Mohammad Dalaisha, described as one of the main planners of the shooting attack at the Halamish junction in 2005 in which two children were seriously wounded.
Ahlgren and Ghannam first met in January for what was described as an “update and briefing on the security situation in the region”.
Writing about a second meeting on June 24 on her official Facebook page, Ghannam said: “The sheep of Britain and the international community have demanded clear and practical attitudes towards [...] crimes committed under the cover and support of the Israeli political level”.
She framed the British request as a sign of “the state of integration between the occupation army and the colonial gangs”, and called for “practical attitudes to stop the crimes of occupation against our people”.
Described as a psychologist, Ghannam, 51, has been the governor of Ramallah and Al-Bireh in the West Bank since 2014 and is the only woman to hold such a senior role in the Palestinian territories.
On June 3, she attended an event celebrating an academic book written by Abu Bakr, who was convicted over the 2002 Netanya attack in which two Israelis were killed, including a nine-month-old baby girl.
He was also convicted of having planned a suicide bombing in the parking lot of Sheba Medical Centre but was released in a prisoner-hostage swap in January 2025.
Ghannam said on her official Facebook page: “I had the honour of attending the presentation of his doctoral thesis to the freed prisoners.
“We are proud of the editor Abu Bakr, who blossomed the flower of his youth behind prison bars, and we cherish this academic achievement that reflects the amount of effort and determination he put into preparing his thesis, based on the humanitarian and fighting experience he lived during his long prison years.”
In March, just ahead of her first meeting with the Vice Admiral the Yesha Council, the umbrella organisation of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, accused Ghannam of holding support meetings with “multiple released terrorists”.
A report by the council claimed Ghannam had met senior Fatah figure Dalaisha, described as one of the main planners of the 2005 shooting attack at the Halamish junction.
The council also accused her of meeting Fakhri Barghouti, a Fatah council member imprisoned for his involvement in the 1978 murder of shuttle driver Mordechai Yekuel, and his son, Shadi Barghouti, who was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the October 19, 2003, shooting attack in Binyamin that killed soldiers Roi Yaakov Solomon, Erez Idan, and Elad Pollak.
Ghannam also allegedly met Mazen Qadi, Abd al-Bast Shawabka, Osama Ouda, Muhammad Nahla, Saad al-Din Jabar, Amir Abu Radha and Ismail Aref Ouda, all accused of terrorism and released by Israel in a prisoner swap.
Alex Hearn, a director of Labour Against Antisemitism, said her “contempt for the British public was clear”.
He added: “An investigation should be undertaken to ensure the government gets its information from more reliable sources.
“It is concerning that a senior defence adviser twice sought the advice of someone known for praising and consorting with terrorists.
“This is a PR coup for Ghannam, who has been gloating about it on social media.
“Her contempt for the British public, who she calls ‘the sheep of Britain’, is clear.
“Surely Vice Admiral Ahigren could have found another adviser who didn’t hold such repugnant views. How will her briefings affect government policy?”
In May 2026 Ghannam was elected to the Central Committee of the Fatah party, officially the Palestinian National Liberation Movement.
The party, described as nationalist, social democratic, is run by president of the Palestine Authority Mahmoud Abbas who has faced allegations of corruption, and distorting Jewish history.
Vice Admiral Ahlgren is a senior Royal Navy officer who commanded the submarines HMS Tireless and HMS Torbay and undertook counter-terrorism duties in Bahrain.
He was appointed UK Defence Senior Adviser to the Middle East and North Africa (DSAME) in 2024.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It is one thing for military personnel to engage in diplomacy relevant to warcraft.
“It is quite another to hold repeated meetings with a civilian politician who has previously hosted individuals accused of carrying out terrorist attacks against Jews.
“We are waging a fight against record levels of antisemitism at home and our diplomacy abroad has domestic ramifications. Has the Ministry of Defence not received the memo?”
Following publication of its report on Ghannam’s social media output, a spokesman for the Yesha Council told the Jerusalem Post: “A British general meeting with a woman who criticises yet also praises terrorists is extremely serious.
“It is unacceptable for a senior official from the British Defence Ministry to meet with someone who encourages incitement to terrorism and to rely on such a one-sided briefing. This reflects a grave gap between the reality on the ground and how it is being portrayed to international actors.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: “The role of the UK’s Defence Senior Advisor Middle East and North Africa (DSAME) is to advise the UK Government on regional defence and security.
“As part of this, DSAME routinely engages with nations and representatives from across the region.”
The JC has approached Ghannam for comment.
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