Pro-Israel group hits back at Shahid Afridi after tweet refuting endorsement

The Pro-Israel group has hit out at Shahid Afridi after the Pakistan legend refuted claims that he had offered endorsement to them on Wednesday, June 19. Afridi’s selfie with members of the Zionist group in the UK called ‘North West Friends of Israel’ had gone viral and they said that the former cricketer had offered his support for their call to release the hostages at our NWFOI vigil last Sunday in Manchester.

Afridi would then quickly put out a statement saying that they had approached him for a selfie and he obliged. He went on to reject the claims made by the group and he expressed his concern for the situation in Palestine.

“Imagine strolling down a street in Manchester (UK) and so-called fans approach you for a selfie. You oblige, and moments later, they upload it as some form of Zionist endorsement. Unbelievable! Please don’t believe everything that is uploaded”

He further stated, “Seeing innocent lives in Palestine suffer is truly heartbreaking. Thus, any photo or association shared by in Manchester does not reflect my support for any situation where human lives are at stake.”

The former Pakistani cricket said that he takes pictures with fans from all over the globe, and “this situation was no different”.

“I pray for peace, I pray for an end to this war, I pray for freedom,” he said.

North West Friends of Israel’s response

The group has now hit back at Afridi in a new tweet where they gave their version of what had happened on the day. The group said that Afridi approached and he was wearing a mask at that time. The group said they initially didn’t know who he was. They said that Afridi approached a member who was handing out the leaflets. They further stated that Afridi took off his mask and he asked for pictures by walking to the main group.

The group said he had agreed to the selfie with leaflets in front of him. The group said Afridi knew what he was doing and offered his support willingly.

The Israeli offensive against Hamas in Palestine, launched on October 17 after the Palestinian group’s attack on Israel, has claimed over 37,000 lives in Palestine. Close to 1,200 have died in Israel in the Hamas attack.