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Bharat Pankhania has resigned as mayor of Bath and from his elected position as a Liberal Democrat councillor after sharing social media posts suggesting that an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances in London was staged by Israel.

Pankhania, who had already been suspended from the Liberal Democrat group on Bath and North East Somerset (Banes) council, shared posts on his personal X account describing the attack on four ambulances run by Hatzola, a volunteer-led Jewish ambulance service, as an Israeli "false flag" operation and, in two further posts, as insurance fraud, according to The Guardian.

The attack occurred on 23 March on Highfield Road in Golders Green, north-west London, near the Machzike Hadath synagogue. Four ambulances were set on fire, causing damage to nearby properties, The Guardian reported. The Guardian noted that false flag operations are political or military acts designed to look as if they were committed by an enemy, allowing the perpetrator to blame an adversary.

The Jerusalem Post, drawing on Jewish Telegraphic Agency reporting, said Pankhania resigned from the honorary mayoral post on Monday. The Guardian said his resignation was reported Tuesday. Both outlets noted he had apologized last week before stepping down.

Coverage Comparison

The two outlets that reported the story agreed on the central facts: the timing and location of the arson; the target — ambulances belonging to the volunteer Jewish service, spelled Hatzola by The Guardian and Hatzolah by the Jerusalem Post; and the reason for Pankhania's departure. They diverged in emphasis and in the details they included.

The Guardian focused on the political fallout: Pankhania's removal from the ceremonial mayoral role, his departure from the council group from which he was already suspended, and the Liberal Democrats' public rejection of discrimination. The Jerusalem Post concentrated more heavily on the nature of the posts themselves and the broader climate in which false-flag allegations around antisemitic incidents have spread.

The outlets also differed in supplementary detail. The Guardian reported that two men were arrested in connection with the arson and released on police bail. The Jerusalem Post reported that a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya claimed responsibility for the attack — a claim carried by a single outlet and not yet independently verified. The Jerusalem Post also reported that law enforcement has deemed the attack antisemitic.

In its coverage, the Jerusalem Post noted that accusations that antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents are false flags have surged as such incidents have become more commonplace. It cited an Anti-Defamation League survey from January 2025 finding that one in four Americans believed recent attacks on Jews were false flags, and an analysis by the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate suggesting the rate of such allegations had risen since.

Key Claims

  • Pankhania resigned as mayor of Bath and from the Liberal Democrat group after sharing posts alleging the ambulance arson was an Israeli false flag operation and insurance fraud, as reported by The Guardian and the Jerusalem Post.
  • The arson occurred on 23 March in Golders Green, London; four Hatzola ambulances were set on fire, causing damage to nearby properties, per both outlets' reporting.
  • Two men were arrested in connection with the arson and released on police bail, according to The Guardian.
  • A group identifying itself as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya claimed responsibility, according to the Jerusalem Post; this claim has not yet been independently verified.
  • Law enforcement has classified the attack as antisemitic, per the Jerusalem Post.
  • Pankhania issued an apology, deleted the posts, and resigned, with the Bath and North East Somerset Liberal Democrat group saying he was "taking clear personal responsibility for his actions."

Perspectives

The resignation drew responses that reflect the different vantage points of the reporting outlets.

From the local political perspective, as conveyed in the Liberal Democrat group's statement, Pankhania's departure was an act of accountability. The statement said both resignations were accepted and that Pankhania "again apologised for his interactions on X, and reiterated that he has spent his life working with all communities, whilst acknowledging the hurt he had caused." The group added: "As a group and as a party, we reject discrimination wherever it occurs and reiterate our stance against antisemitism."

For the Jewish and Israeli press, as represented by the Jerusalem Post, the episode was a symptom of a wider problem. The outlet emphasized law enforcement's antisemitic designation of the attack and reported on the rise of false-flag conspiracy theories around antisemitic incidents, including the ADL survey and the Blue Square Alliance analysis.

Pankhania's own account, quoted in both outlets, was that the reposted material did not reflect his values. "I have been made aware that I have reposted or replied to some posts which have never aligned to my values and beliefs, and which are abhorrent," he said, according to the Jerusalem Post. "I am incredibly apologetic that I have not lived up to the standards I set myself. I have, of course, deleted them, and I wish to apologize unreservedly."

The two outlets differed slightly on the timeline — the Jerusalem Post dated the resignation to Monday, while The Guardian reported it Tuesday — but both placed the resignation in early April 2026, days after the apology.