British parliamentary candidate replaced after ‘kidnap Obama’ post

A parliamentary candidate for Britain’s UK Independence Party was replaced on Tuesday after writing that Israel should “kidnap” US President Barack Obama in a Facebook post.

The post by Jeremy Zeid was a response to the declassifying of documents on Israel’s secret nuclear program, and was written last week as he prepared to run for a seat in Britain’s general election on May 7.

“Once Obama is out of office, the Israelis should move to extradite the bastard or ‘do an Eichmann’ on him, and lock him up for leaking state secrets,” Zeid wrote in the Facebook post, according to a screenshot.

“Just kidnap the bugger, like they did to Eichmann,” he added in a comment, referring to the Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, who was captured in Argentina in 1960 and put on trial in Israel.

UKIP, known for its anti-immigration and anti-European Union stance, has suffered a series of embarrassments over gaffes by members, and several of its candidates have withdrawn.

Speaking to the Evening Standard newspaper, Zeid defended his comments and said his resignation was not linked to the post.

“I stood down because I’m fed up with having to fend off accusations. I have to consider my health. That comment I made about Obama, I stick by it 100 percent,” Zeid told the newspaper.

UKIP said that Zeid had been replaced and that a new candidate, dentist Raymond Shamash, would contest the constituency of Hendon in north London.

A spokesman said that the party had only learned of the Facebook post after Zeid’s resignation.

“He was right to resign. We are looking forward, not back,” the UKIP spokesman said.