The Left Party’s parliamentary group leader, Samuel Gonzalez Westling, sent a public letter of support to a Palestinian who served a long prison sentence for the kidnapping and murder of a 19-year-old Israeli soldier. The revelation marks another setback for the party, which has already been criticized after several representatives showed support for Palestinians convicted of terrorism. At the same time, party leader Nooshi Dadgostar has now admitted that the party’s routines failed, after initially claiming there was no problem.

The Left Party’s group leader and member of parliament Samuel Gonzalez Westling participated in December 2025 in a campaign where several Left Party members wrote open letters of solidarity to Palestinian prisoners.

One of the letters was addressed to Ibrahim Abu Mokh, who in 1984 was sentenced to life imprisonment for the kidnapping and murder of the 19-year-old Israeli conscript Moshe Tamam. This is reported by, among others, Kvartal.

In the letter, Gonzalez Westling wrote, among other things:

“The Left Party will always stand against occupation, oppression, and violations of international law. You are not forgotten, and we continue to carry your voice forward in our political work. Your struggle is also our struggle.”

The letter was published on social media such as Facebook and Instagram as part of the campaign.

Kidnapped and Murdered

According to Kvartal’s investigation, Moshe Tamam was kidnapped while hitchhiking home during leave from his military service. He was held captive for two days, subjected to torture, and then shot dead by Abu Mokh and three other members of the terrorist-labeled Palestinian organization PFLP. The family has for decades opposed the release of the perpetrators, which nevertheless occurred some time ago.

When Kvartal contacted Samuel Gonzalez Westling, he did not want to answer whether he knew what crime Abu Mokh had been convicted of. He did, however, confirm that the letter was addressed to him before declining further comments.

The Party Admits Lack of Oversight

According to the Left Party’s party secretary Maria Forsberg, the campaign was based on information from the Palestinian National Association. She has stated that the intention was that the letters should not be directed at people who had “blood on their hands,” but that fact-checking was insufficient and the party did not carry out its own review.

Kvartal reports that Gonzalez Westling is one of at least seven Left Party members who participated in the campaign. Most of the letters have since been removed from social media.

Dadgostar Changes Her Position

The revelation comes while the Left Party is already under heavy pressure after Expressen’s investigation of member of parliament Ilona Szatmári Waldau, who sent a similar letter of support to the convicted terrorist Ahmad al-Moghrabi.

After initially saying she felt “very confident” in Waldau’s values, party leader Nooshi Dadgostar changed her tone on Wednesday.

– A mistake by a member of parliament. Here we should have had better routines, she said according to TT.

TT also notes that Samuel Gonzalez Westling took part in the same letter campaign and sent a support letter to Ibrahim Abu Mokh.

New Revelation in a String of Controversies

The latest investigation comes on the heels of a series of previous revelations about the Left Party. Earlier this year, Expressen showed that a large number of party representatives expressed support for terrorist organizations, spread anti-Semitism, or relativized the Holocaust. About 20 candidates subsequently left their assignments or were removed from election lists.

READ ALSO: New revelations about anti-Semitism in the Left Party – the government reacts strongly

The revelations have led to sharp criticism from the government and opposition. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has previously accused the Left Party of having long tolerated a culture of terror glorification and anti-Semitism, while the party leadership claims to take action when such information comes to light and that such positions are not in line with the party’s values.

Filed Police Report Against Jimmie Åkesson

In July this year, Gonzalez Westling made a splash on social media by submitting a police report against Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Åkesson. This was in response to information that the party had allegedly manipulated some invoices.

Westling argued that this was not an isolated incident but one that illustrated the Sweden Democrats’ disregard for the rules that apply to everyone else. It was serious, argued the now terror-glorifying Left Party group leader.