Plaid Cymru says that a university lecturer who called Israel a "terrorist state" on social media will remain a candidate for the Senedd election.

Vivek Thuppil, number six on Plaid's list in Bangor Conwy Mon, said Israel should be proscribed like a terrorist organisation in posts on Bluesky.

The party also said it supports the candidacy of Elin Hywel, number five on the party's list in Gwynedd Maldwyn. Archived messages show she shared a message on X suggesting Israel did not have a right to exist.

Plaid accused Reform, which distributed the messages to journalists and criticised both individuals, of "desperately deflecting from their shambolic campaign".

Israel has consistently stated that its military action in Gaza and beyond is necessary to root out Hamas and other militant groups which threaten its security.

Neither candidate has been selected to a winnable place on their respective Plaid lists, although in theory they could serve as back-up politicians should vacancies need to be filled among Plaid MSs after the election.

The news comes amid rows over candidates in Reform, after three who had been appointed in one constituency quit, including a man who was pictured in a photograph appearing to perform a Nazi salute and had been the most likely to get elected.

• Three Reform candidates quit in one Welsh constituency

• Plaid Cymru candidate stands down over 'inappropriate' tweet

Reform has distributed links to the two Plaid candidates' social media messages to the media.

Ten months ago on Bluesky, Thuppil respoded to a story which quoted Gaza officials saying Israel had killed civilians waiting at food distribution points, and said: "The state of Israel is a terrorist state".

In another message, quoting a news story reporting masked Israeli settlers beating a deaf Palestinian man, the Bangor University lecturer said the matter was "Israeli terrorism".

"Israel is a terrorist state. Any support for Israel should be legally proscribed like for any other terrorist entity."

An archived version of Elin Hywel's former account on X shows that she shared a post where someone said they were in "awe" of an individual who "smacks down the 'Israel has a right to exist'" talking point.

Another shared post, stored on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, showed Hywel sharing a post which called Kemi Badenoch "the most prominent member of white supremacy's Black collaborator class".

Both messages were shared in November 2024, according to Wayback Machine.

Regarding Hywel, who is a Gwynedd councillor, Reform said: "These quotes are not some misguided musings of a teenager, but are the sincerely held beliefs of someone who should know better.

"This raises significant questions for Plaid Cymru about their attitudes towards Israel, but most importantly their attitude towards Wales and its people."

'Reform are desperately deflecting'

The party confirmed that both individuals would remain candidates.

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said: "Reform are desperately deflecting from their shambolic campaign, which has seen four candidates drop out in one week - including one candidate who appeared in an image where they appeared to show a Nazi salute.

"This is a party mired in controversy, lacking judgement and unfit to represent the people of Wales."

Asked if Plaid agreed that Israel was a terrorist state, a party spokesperson said: "Plaid Cymru has consistently called for peace in the Middle East.

"The actions of the Israeli state against the Palestinian people have caused immense human suffering and we believe those responsible for war crimes - including acts that amount to genocide - must be held fully accountable under international law.

"Plaid Cymru will also continue to demand that the UK government enforces all decisions made by the International Criminal Court, including acting on any arrest warrants it issues.

"We will continue to offer our support to Jewish and Muslim communities here in Wales to ensure that the actions of governments elsewhere do not encourage intolerance or undermine harmony between communities here."

Asked for comment, Thuppil referred the BBC to Plaid's public relations team. Elin Hywel was also asked for comment.

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