A former SNP MP has caused outrage online after he compared the current Israeli regime to World War Two Germany.
Angus MacNeil represented the Scottish National Party for 18 years between 2005 and 2023.
He then shifted to an independent candidate for the final year of his parliamentary career in 2024.
In a post on X, Mr MacNeil replied to a video showing displacement camps in the Middle East being attacked.
In response, he wrote: “What really is the difference between the regime in Israel at the moment and the regime in Germany in WW2?”
The post sparked severe outrage online, with a member of the House of Lords speaking on his disdain for the statement.
Zac Goldsmith, a member of the Lords since 2020, wrote on X: “Wtf. This is insane from a former MP.
“Comparing Israel and Nazi Germany is perverse, and idiotic beyond measure.
Angus MacNeil has sparked outrage online after comparing Israel to World War Two Germany
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“Nazi Germany was a totalitarian dictatorship that murdered 6m Jews (two-thirds of European Jewry) plus millions of others in industrial death camps like Auschwitz, with explicit genocidal intent via the Final Solution—unprecedented state-sponsored extermination.
“Israel, a liberal democracy with Arab citizens comprising 21 per cent of its ~10 million population (over 2 million with full voting rights, representation in the Knesset, and legal equality), faces existential threats from groups like Hamas whose charter calls for Jewish extermination.
“In the ongoing Gaza conflict triggered by Hamas’s October 7 massacre (1,200 Israelis killed, hostages taken), even high-end estimates put Palestinian deaths at around 70,000-75,000 over years of urban warfare against embedded terrorists—not industrialised genocide.
“Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza has exploded nearly 10-fold since 1948 (from ~1.4 million to over 5.5 million today), making a joke of 'genocide' claims.
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A member of the House of Lords was left outraged by the former MP's comments
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“Israel warns civilians, facilitates aid (despite Hamas diversion), and targets militants—actions of a nation defending itself after the Holocaust, not perpetrating one.
“Equating defensive warfare with the regime that built gas chambers is not nuance; it’s blood libel that dishonours actual victims of Nazi evil.
“How is it possible that this needs explaining to a former MP? It’s revolting.”
In a recent press conference, US President Donald Trump claimed Benjamin Netanyahu will “do whatever I want him to do” regarding the war in Iran.
Mr Trump said: “He's a very good man. He'll do whatever I want him to do.
“And he's a great guy. Don't forget he was a wartime Prime Minister,” the President stated when questioned about the Israeli leader's push for renewed military operations.
According to Israel's Channel 12, Mr Netanyahu holds doubts that diplomatic efforts will yield a peace agreement and favours resuming attacks on Iran.
Mr Trump, however, appears committed to pursuing a negotiated settlement that would eliminate Iran's nuclear capabilities.