Dozens of UK lawmakers express concern over Israeli president’s visit
More than 60 lawmakers have sent a letter to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer over Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s upcoming visit, noting that the United Kingdom is a party to the Genocide Convention and therefore has obligations to ensure any implicated individuals are not afforded “political legitimacy or hospitality”.
The letter noted that the International Court of Justice has determined that Israel faces a “plausible risk of genocide” in its ongoing war on Gaza, and that Herzog has appeared to endorse collective punishment of Palestinians.
Among those, they said, are his claims that there are “no innocent civilians in Gaza” and his assertion that “it is an entire nation that is responsible”.
In their letter, the lawmakers called on the government’s ministers to clarify the legal implications of the visit to ensure that the UK is not complicit in shielding or legitimising those accused of grave international crimes.
“Will any visa application made by the Israeli president to visit the UK this week be rejected or will he be subject to police investigation if he does arrive?” the lawmakers asked.
The letter comes as pro-Palestinian groups called on Starmer to issue an arrest warrant against Herzog for war crimes. The Israeli president is expected in the UK for three days, beginning on Wednesday.
UK MPs express ‘grave concern’ about Israeli president’s visit
Dozens of British politicians have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer to express their “grave concern” about Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to the UK.
They sent their letter as public opposition grows against Herzog’s trip to London, where he is expected to meet Starmer.
The MPs, many of whom belong to Starmer’s Labour Party, called on the prime minister “to act with the seriousness that this moment demands”.
Mentioning the UK’s obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention, they stressed that their country has “to take active steps to prevent and punish genocide and incitement to it whenever it occurs”.
They added that Herzog’s visit “risks suggesting that the UK is indifferent to its international legal responsibilities”.
Despite the ongoing genocide in Gaza, Israel’s President Herzog is due to visit the UK in the coming days. Today I joined @AndyMcDonaldMP & other MPs to ask the PM how this visit complies with UK obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention. pic.twitter.com/OiUFXQ6fhH
— lan Byrne MP (@IanByrneMP) September 10, 2025
British NGO calls for Israel’s Herzog to be arrested during UK visit
A UK-based NGO has urged British authorities to arrest the Israeli president during his visit to London.
Friends of Al-Aqsa (FOA), an organisation advocating for the human rights of Palestinians, called for criminal proceedings to be brought against Herzog for encouraging “indiscriminate attacks by the Israeli military on civilians and civilian objects in Gaza”.
As we’ve been reporting, Herzog is due to hold talks with Starmer this afternoon.
“British politicians have failed to defend the Palestinians and champion the rule of law,” said Ismail Patel, the FOA’s chairman. “It’s time to end impunity and uphold international law.”
Pro-Palestinian activists in London protest against President Herzog’s visit
Footage circulating on social media and verified by Al Jazeera shows pro-Palestinian activists in London being shoved by police as they protest against a visit by the Israeli president to the UK.
The video on Instagram shows a standoff on Monday near where Herzog is staying in central London with police officers repeatedly shouting, “Get back,” and shoving chanting demonstrators.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DOZc5PNjATK/
