John McDonnell has come under criticism for a speech he made in 2012 regarding Israel

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Speaking to a Unite the Resistance rally at a time of heavy Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, Mr McDonnell expressed solidarity with Palestinian citizens facing military bombardment.

In a video recovered by the Daily Telegraph, He said: “Nobody can speak without expressing some form of solidarity with the people of Gaza as the children are murdered and the bombs are flying from Israel.

“I think it’s absolutely critical now that we use every platform we can to expose what is going on, which is effectively an attempt at genocide against the Palestinians.”

Mr McDonnell defended his statements, and said he “takes pride” in condemning brutality and violence in Gaza.