Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s London visit faces backlash
as UK campaigners demand his arrest and MPs raise concerns over the trip.
The director of public prosecutions has received a request from the Friends of Al-Aqsa campaign group to seek an arrest warrant for Herzog on charges of war crimes.
The allegation focuses on remarks he made following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, in which he blamed "the entire Palestinian nation" for the incident.
According to the request, Israeli soldiers used those statements to defend their acts throughout the ensuing conflict in Gaza.
According to a lawyer who advised the group, heads of state are typically exempt from arrest and prosecution in the UK; nevertheless, the International Criminal Court's issuance of arrest warrants for heads of state has established a precedent.
The attorney went on to say that instead of leaving private prosecutions to the Crown Prosecution Service for state action, private citizens in England might request arrest warrants for private prosecutions from the director of public prosecutions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among the prominent Israeli figures for whom the ICC issued arrest warrants earlier this year.
“A leader of a country that carries out gross human right violations and indiscriminate killing should not be allowed in the UK,”
said the founder of Friends of Al-Aqsa, Ismail Patel.
“Britain has failed to defend Palestinian rights and champion the rule of law. There is now an opportunity to correct the failings and issue an arrest warrant to investigate into Herzog’s incitement to attacks on Gaza.”
They said the UK, as a signatory of the 1948 Genocide Convention, has a duty “to take active steps to prevent and punish genocide and incitement to it wherever it occurs. This obligation includes ensuring that individuals credibly implicated in the commission or incitement of such crimes are not afforded political legitimacy or hospitality by our government.”
They added that the International Court of Justice had said there is a possibility that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and asked the government to “clarify what legal advice they have received regarding this visit, whether President Herzog’s entry to the UK is compatible with our obligations under the Genocide Convention, and what steps will be taken to ensure that Britain is not complicit in shielding or legitimising those accused of grave international crimes.”
Andy McDonald MP, one of the letter’s signatories, said:
“It is of real concern the government has not concluded that Israel is acting with the intent of causing genocide, and that the government does not consider ICJ Provisional Measures should be regarded as warning of the risk of genocide.
We all see mass civilian killings. Destruction of hospitals. Withholding vital aid. Israeli Ministers stating ‘no food, no water.’ The International Association of Genocide Scholars, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty and the ICJ have all warned states to uphold the Genocide Convention. The UK is failing to do so and that must change.”
Herzog is a "architect" of the "genocide in Gaza," according to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and the UK's choice to welcome him "has caused outrage and revulsion amongst supporters of Palestinian rights."
Ben Jamal, director of the PSC, said in a statement:
“The president of a state recognised by a consensus of international law and genocide scholars to be committing the crime of genocide should be welcomed by nobody on a visit to the UK.
It is bad enough that the government is not acting to deny him a visa; the news that Keir Starmer appears prepared to sit down with him at Downing Street is further confirmation of his government’s complicity in this genocide.
A man who has issued a genocidal statements that dehumanise all Palestinians as Herzog has, belongs not in a comfy chair in Downing Street but in the dock at the Hague.”
What diplomatic implications could arise from Herzog's UK trip?
Herzog’s trip, coming as the UK government edges toward
recognizing Palestine and condemning aspects of Israel’s actions in Gaza,
highlights the complex balancing act in UK-Israel relations. It underscores
existing strains and conflicting public and political pressures.
The visit has triggered calls from campaigners and some MPs to arrest Herzog for alleged war crimes, reflecting deep divisions within British political and civil society. This domestic controversy may affect the UK government’s credibility and influence diplomatic maneuvering.
Herzog’s visit aims to show solidarity amid rising antisemitism in the UK, strengthening ties with Britain’s Jewish population. This builds social cohesion but can complicate the government’s messaging on Palestinian suffering.