2026-08-21 · contested story
How a Swedish Palestinian minister raised controversy with Star of David
Simona Mohamsson, Sweden's Liberal Party leader and Minister of Education and Integration, wore a Star of David necklace during a televised pre-election debate on August 17, 2026, saying she wanted to highlight rising antisemitism in Sweden. Mohamsson, whose father is a Palestinian born in Haifa and whose mother is Lebanese, said 'I carry the Star of David for the children who do not dare to do it in today's Sweden,' and criticized Sweden's Left Party for enabling antisemitism. Her gesture drew praise from Sweden's Jewish community but triggered online backlash and threats, including a Malmo anti-Islamophobia adviser writing 'May she be burned.' Notably, several supplied sources actually cover a separate, earlier 2016 controversy — the resignation of Green Party minister Mehmet Kaplan for comparing Israel's treatment of Palestinians to Nazi treatment of Jews — rather than the Mohamsson event.
How each side frames it
left
"Critics claim using it leads to the conflation of criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism."
"Israel's genocide in Gaza"
"a self-hating creature who has turned her hatred against her own"
"Israelis treat Palestinians in a way that is very like that in which Jews were treated during Germany in the 1930s."
"Waldau, however, has since apologised, saying the letters were meant to serve as a message of solidarity with Palestinian prisoners and not for anyone who incites violence."
center
"wore a Star of David during a televised debate earlier this week, saying she wanted to highlight the rising antisemitism in the country."
"Mohamsson was subject to waves of online hate, being accused of being “self-hating” and threatened with “may she burn,” according to Sweden’s Aftonbladet daily."
"She Wore the Star of David Around Her Neck During the Party Leadership Debate – Then the Hate Messages Poured In"
"accusing them of “sending love letters to Hamas and spreading fear on our streets.”"
"Relations between Israel and Sweden have been strained since Sweden recognised Palestinian statehood in October 2014."
right
"The politician has recently come under fire for his alleged ties to Turkish neo-fascist groups."
"Foreign Minister Margot Wallström calling them “terrible,” the Guardian reported."
"Swedish minister Simona Mohamsson wore a Star of David during a televised debate. Her father is Palestinian and her mother Lebanese Shia Muslim."
What each side left out
The left left out — covered by the The Times of Israel
- The praise from Sweden's Jewish community described as 'powerful'
- European Commission data showing 73% of Swedish respondents view antisemitism as a problem
The left left out — covered by the The Times of Israel & Frida Ghitis (X)
- Mohamsson's specific Shia Muslim background detail
The center left out — covered by the Al Jazeera
- The critic's full 'genocide' framing and the retraction/re-contextualization of the 'may she be burned' threat
- The counter-argument that the Star of David conflates Israel criticism with antisemitism
The right left out — covered by the Al Jazeera & The Times of Israel
- Substantive coverage of the actual 2026 Mohamsson event
- The context of rising antisemitism statistics
- Mohamsson's own stated motivation
What's actually true?
[verified] Simona Mohamsson wore a Star of David necklace during a televised pre-election debate in Sweden, saying 'I wear the Star of David for the children who do not dare to in today's Sweden.'
[verified] Mohamsson's father is Palestinian, born in Haifa, and her mother is Lebanese.
[verified] A Malmo city adviser on Islamophobia, Valley Ghanem, wrote 'May she be burned' about Mohamsson and later retracted it.
[verified] Mohamsson accused Sweden's Left Party of enabling antisemitism by 'sending love letters to Hamas', referring to lawmaker Ilona Szatmari Waldau's letter to a jailed Palestinian.
[unverified] In 2024, Sweden recorded more than 200 acts of antisemitic violence, up from 111 in 2022.
[unverified] 73 percent of respondents in Sweden said antisemitism is a problem in the country, per a European Commission report.
[verified] In 2016, Swedish housing minister Mehmet Kaplan resigned after footage surfaced comparing Israel's treatment of Palestinians to Nazi treatment of Jews.
[verified] Israel declared Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom 'not welcome' after she called for an investigation into 'extrajudicial' killings of Palestinians.
The narrative clash
Mohamsson's religious/ethnic background
Left: Mohamsson has, however, always identified as an atheist and not a Muslim.
Right: Mohamsson comes from a Shia Muslim background. Her father is Palestinian, born in Haifa, and her mother is Lebanese, although she herself does not identify as Muslim.
Whether wearing the Star of David is provocation or solidarity
Left: Critics claim using it leads to the conflation of criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism.
Right: Sweden’s Muslim-born Minister Simona Mohamsson's Powerful Act of Solidarity with Swedish Jews
16 sources analyzed
The Forward The Guardian US NBC News Daily Record Al Jazeera NPR The Damage Report The Times of Israel The Jerusalem Post Ground News The Seattle Times AFP Charlie Kirk BBC News London Evening Standard RT