Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) said that the British government’s reception today of the President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog, reflects blatant political hypocrisy of the Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government. Starmer has been vocally calling for an end to the war in Gaza, while at the same time his government continues to export weapons to Israel and cooperate with it on all levels. Today he welcomes the president of a state whose government is overseeing the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people.
AOHR UK stressed that Herzog, despite his “ceremonial” position, is one of the pillars of the fascist regime that engineered the genocide and continues to implement it in full view of the world. On 12 October 2023, Herzog declared: “All Palestinians in Gaza are responsible, and there are no innocents.” This statement, widely reported in Hebrew and Western media, was deemed a direct authorisation for the targeting of civilians and a clear endorsement of genocide.
AOHR UK added that receiving Herzog in London can only be read as a green light for the Israeli government to continue its war of extermination. The message Starmer is sending to Israel is clear: “Continue the killing, destruction, and starvation. Keep demolishing residential towers in Gaza. Do not worry about condemnatory statements; they are merely public relations exercises to contain growing popular pressure in Britain.”
AOHR UK pointed out that this visit comes as part of Herzog’s and his government’s efforts to break their growing international isolation, especially after European countries such as Spain, Norway, and Belgium took steps towards recognising the State of Palestine or imposing restrictions on cooperation with Israel. Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister can no longer visit most European countries due to the arrest warrants issued against him by the International Criminal Court.
AOHR UK stressed that Britain, which bears historical responsibility for the Nakba of the Palestinian people since 1948, has continued for 77 years to support the occupation at every level. After the events of 7 October 2023, the British government went on providing security and military support to Israel, making it a direct partner in the ongoing genocide.
AOHR UK called on Labour Party members and the wider British public to reject this visit and to press the government to take concrete steps to halt security and military cooperation with Israel. It stressed that such hypocrisy has become intolerable in light of acknowledgements by UN and human rights bodies of the existence of genocide, manifested in killing, destruction, and starvation.
AOHR UK also urged all states to cut, or at least freeze, their relations with Israel, affirming that there can be no normal dealings with an entity that openly practises killing, destruction, and starvation, while at the same time retaining membership of the United Nations, which was founded to uphold international law based on peace, justice, and equality, which Israel flagrantly violates.
