Hezbollah's chief spokesman can visit Britain on a speaking tour. The British government gave Ibrahim Mousawi, who is banned from France and Ireland because he has been dubbed a terrorist by those governments. a visa to enter the country. Mousawi is on a tour sponsored by the Stop the War Coalition, a group against the U.S. war on terrorism.
On Tuesday he will speak at a Liverpool church on the Israeli invasion of southern Lebananon. Mousawi has come under fire from Jewish groups for his vitriol toward Jews and Israelis, whose deaths at the hands of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah he has defended.
A Jewish member of Parliament, Louise Ellman, told the Liverpool Daily Post she was outraged that Mousawi was permitted to visit Britain. “I am appalled he has been allowed into the country, and I am shocked that he has been invited to Liverpool, a city with a proud history of excellent community relations,” she said. “This is a terrorist leader who fosters division and hate. He represents the exact opposite of what is needed to bring peace and reconciliation in Lebanon and the Middle East.” |