Dozens of UK lawmakers express grave concern over Israeli president's London visit

LONDON

More than 60 UK lawmakers wrote to Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday to express their grave concern over the decision to allow Israeli President Isaac Herzog to visit London.

In their letter, they pointed out the obligations under the Genocide Convention to prevent and punish genocide, not give it "political legitimacy or hospitality."

Recalling Herzog's statements that dehumanize the Palestinian people and endorse collective punishment, the parliamentarians urged ministers to clarify the legal implications of the visit to ensure that Britain is not complicit in shielding or legitimizing 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?" said the letter, which was shared in a statement by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC).

"It is of real concern that the government has not concluded that Israel is acting with the intent of causing genocide and that the government does not consider that ICJ Provisional Measures should be regarded as warning of the risk of genocide," Labor Party lawmaker Andy McDonald said in the statement.

"The UK is failing to do so, and that must change," said McDonald, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East.

PSC Director Ben Jamal said “the president of a state recognized 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."

Israel has killed more than 64,600 Palestinians in a brutal offensive in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and pushed the territory’s population into famine.