“The irony of becoming what you once hated."
A Met Police officer has been sacked without notice after sharing an image of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu morphing into Adolf Hitler.
Detective Constable Ibrahim Khan posted the screenshot in October 2023 to draw comparisons between Israeli policy and that of the Nazis.
The caption read: “The irony of becoming what you once hated. Well done Israel, Hitler would be proud.”
Between October 17 and 23, Khan shared similar posts with 250 online followers. A gross misconduct panel found him in breach of police professional standards.
The police officer denied antisemitism and argued the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism is “not legally binding”.
The IHRA definition is widely adopted but has drawn criticism from scholars and activists.
A 2020 statement by Palestinian and Arab academics said: “Antisemitism must be debunked and combated.
“Regardless of pretence, no expression of hatred for Jews as Jews should be tolerated anywhere in the world.
“Through ‘examples’ that it provides, the IHRA definition conflates Judaism with Zionism in assuming that all Jews are Zionists and that the state of Israel in its current reality embodies the self-determination of all Jews.
“We profoundly disagree with this.
“The fight against antisemitism should not be turned into a stratagem to delegitimise the fight against the oppression of the Palestinians, the denial of their rights and the continued occupation of their land.”
Ibrahim Khan’s name has been added to the College of Policing’s barred list.
Comparisons between Netanyahu and Hitler have become widespread, citing Israel’s actions against Palestinians. Similar ‘morphing’ images circulate online.
The Voice Of Rabbis, a nonprofit of “Jews united against Zionism”, shared a comparable image to almost 300,000 followers on X.
Another post read: “Netanyahu is a Nazi, today’s Hitler. Netanyahu is no Jewish Leader. Netanyahu is a murderer and genocidal man.
“He should be tried and pay for all the war crimes he committed.
“Supporting Netanyahu means supporting genocide and Nazis.”
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant.
They are accused of crimes against humanity, including targeting civilians and depriving Palestinians of food.
In response, Netanyahu said: “This is an antisemitic act that has one goal – to deter me, to deter us, from exercising our natural right to defend ourselves against our enemies.”
More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023. Around 1,300 Israelis have died.
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