Lib Dem councillor draws concern over ‘Israel lobby’ and ‘paymasters’ remarks in Facebook post

A Liberal Democrat councillor in Worcestershire has drawn concern after publishing a social media post claiming that the Labour Party is “influenced by the Israel lobby” and suggesting that MPs act on behalf of unnamed “paymasters”.

Cllr Sam Ammar, a former Labour member now serving as a Lib Dem councillor, made the remarks in a public Facebook post commenting on national Labour Party politics and its leadership.

In the post, Ammar described the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee as “mostly political thugs influenced by the Israel lobby” and referred to “brain-dead MPs who will do as told by their paymasters”.

The language prompted scrutiny within the Jewish community, where references to political parties being controlled by an “Israel lobby” or by financial “paymasters” are widely recognised as echoing long-standing antisemitic tropes about Jewish power, money and influence.

Responding to the comments, the Jewish Labour Movement said the wording crossed a serious line.

Ella Rose-Jacobs, JLM’s National Chair, said: “This is a textbook example of antisemitic tropes to accuse Jewish people and Israel of controlling politics and the Labour Party through power and money.

“We call on Sir Ed Davey and the Liberal Democrats to do the right thing and take action.

“Antisemitism is rising in the UK, and it is simply not acceptable for elected officials to get away with antisemitic and racist language like this.”

Ammar’s post also referred to Labour supporters as “abiding foot soldiers” and repeatedly described Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer as a “dictator”.

Through her lawyer, Ammar told Jewish News her Facebook post did not invoke antisemitic tropes. A statement said: “As is clear from the context of the post, the two phrases address separate political criticisms and should not be read together; any reference to ‘paymasters’ was not intended to denote Jewish people, and our client has criticised politicians for receiving funding from pressure groups attached to many causes. She is committed to fairness, equality, and non-discrimination, and has consistently sought to support and represent people of all backgrounds. Any suggestion to the contrary is categorically denied.”

A Liberal Democrat spokesperson confirmed to Jewish News that the party had intervened following the post. “We have spoken to Councillor Ammar, and she has agreed to take this post down,” the spokesperson said.

The incident comes amid heightened sensitivity around political rhetoric referencing Jewish or Israeli influence, as parties across the political spectrum face continued scrutiny over antisemitism in public discourse.