Labour Party faces legal challenge over recruitment of Israeli former spy

London (QNN)- The UK Labour Party is facing a legal challenge over its decision to recruit an Israeli former spy as one of its social media managers.

Assaf Kaplan, a former officer, who served with the Israeli army signals intelligence and surveillance branch known as Unit 8200, was hired by the party as a social listening and organising manager, a new post described as “a crucial new role at the heart of Labour’s new approach to digital campaigning”.

A leading London law firm is threatening to bring proceedings against the party following the hiring of Kaplan.

Unit 8200 is the counterpart of civilian agencies such as the US National Security Agency and GCHQ in the UK but has faced widespread criticism – including from its own soldiers – for its role in the close surveillance of Palestinian civilians.

In a letter to the Labour Party, the complaint from Bindmans solicitors alleges that Kaplan worked for Unit 8200, the cyber branch of the Israeli occupation army, from 2009 to 2013. It adds that the unit has been mired in controversy over its surveillance practices against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and Gaza.

It is “very likely that Kaplan was involved in the unlawful coercive surveillance practices”, the letter reads.

Bindmans has also asked the party whether Kaplan remains a reservist in the Israeli occupation army.

The firm is acting on behalf of a British Palestinian Labour Party member, Adnan Hmidan, from west London, who says he is concerned about the recruitment of Kaplan to a position that the party describes as its “social listening and organizing manager”: monitoring online conversations, including among party members.

Hmidan’s parents were born in Palestine and forcibly removed to Jordan. His lawyers’ letter points out that successive Labour conferences have criticised Israeli annexation plans as a breach of international law, adding that the occupation has led to mass violations of Palestinian rights.

The job description for Kaplan’s Labour role says: “You will help to move the social media listening framework of the party to be laser focused on those we need to win over to form the next government.”