Ministers are being urged not to meet the Israeli president during an expected visit next week, as the government continues to condemn his country’s expanded military offensive in Gaza.
Isaac Herzog will be in Britain on Wednesday and Thursday, according to The Guardian.
Downing Street has declined to comment, only saying it would set out any visits “in the normal way”.
Labour’s Sarah Champion is among the MPs to have voiced their opposition to any such plans, suggesting it will undermine the government’s condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The Rotherham MP, who chairs the International Development Select Committee, said: “The UK has recognised the ‘real risk’ of genocide perpetuated by Israel, so unless this meeting is about peace, what message are we sending?”
Israel denies accusations it is committing genocide in Gaza, and British ministers have refused to use the term. They say it remains a matter for the International Court of Justice.
But Sir Keir Starmer has been increasingly critical of Israel’s operation, which has expanded significantly over the summer, with plans for the takeover of Gaza City.
The prime minister has said the UK will recognise a Palestinian state at a meeting of the UN’s general assembly this month, unless Israel meets several conditions it seems set to ignore.
They include taking substantive steps to end the “appalling situation in Gaza”, and agreeing to a ceasefire.
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‘Beyond disgusted’
Israel says his plan – which matches those of France and Canada, among others – constitutes a reward for Hamas, whose attack on 7 October 2023 triggered the current conflict.
Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, mainly civilians, and took 251 people hostage.
In the two years since, the Hamas-run health ministry says the number killed in Gaza has surpassed 64,000. Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced, with famine declared in Gaza City.
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Other critics of Mr Herzog’s visit include former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell MP, who said it would “shame our country”.
Zarah Sultana MP – who quit Labour to co-lead a new party with Jeremy Corbyn, who is leading a tribunal into the government’s sale of arms to Israel – said she was “beyond disgusted” and called for Mr Herzog to be arrested.
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‘The only solution is through discussion’
Unlike Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, there is no international arrest warrant for Mr Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial.
He is from a different political party to the PM, and has been critical over domestic issues, but has largely supported war efforts in Gaza.
Labour’s Emily Thornberry MP, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Guardian “efforts should be made to engage” with the president.
While a strong critic of Israel, she told the newspaper “the only solution to this is through politics, through discussion”.
“Herzog is easier to talk to than many in the extreme right-wing government in Israel,” she added. “But we mustn’t pull our punches.”
