Labour’s fury escalates as Herzog’s UK visit pits peace diplomacy against Gaza’s bloodshed

Labour MPs are demanding that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer deliberately avoid meeting Israeli President Isaac Herzog during the latter’s upcoming visit to London—a step they argue risks sending an ambiguous, even hostile signal given the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.

Herzog is scheduled to arrive in the UK next Wednesday and Thursday, marking the most senior Israeli visit since Foreign Secretary David Lammy met his counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, earlier this year in an unannounced trip. While such high-level visits typically involve engagements with the prime minister and key ministers, that customary choreography has been disrupted by the escalating crisis in Gaza and the UK’s imminent recognition of a Palestinian state. No Downing Street confirmation has been made of any meeting with Starmer, following a recent precedent when he declined to meet with Bangladesh’s chief adviser Muhammad Yunus.

Frustration within Labour has boiled over. Sarah Champion, chair of the International Development Committee, vented on X: “Unless this meeting is about peace, what message are we sending?” She criticised Herzog’s visit as tone-deaf to the British public’s growing despair over the Gaza war. Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell went further, claiming Herzog represents “a government that is systematically killing Palestinian children on a daily basis,” and insisted he should be barred from entering the country. Clive Lewis, another Labour MP, warned that sometimes the act of meeting itself is a political statement—and that Herzog’s rhetoric, having been cited by the International Court of Justice, “could fall foul of the genocide convention.”

On the other hand, Emily Thornberry, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee—and herself a fierce critic of Israel’s actions—argued for diplomatic exchange. She noted Herzog’s relative moderation compared to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and suggested he might be more receptive to discussions about the future of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. “Politics—not silence—is the only solution,” she insisted. Liberal Democrat spokesperson Calum Miller echoed that sentiment, urging Starmer to use the visit to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Herzog’s presence in London carries additional weight: he has become enmeshed in international scrutiny. The International Court of Justice cited a statement he made—blaming all Palestinians in Gaza for the October 7 Hamas attack—as part of its January 2024 order, warning of “imminent risk” of genocide in the territory. Herzog countered that his words had been misrepresented.

Beyond the uproar over Herzog’s statements, the UK has already taken tangible steps in response to the Gaza crisis—sanctions on hardline Israeli ministers, paused trade negotiations, and plans to recognise Palestinian statehood—heightening the tension of any proposed engagement with an Israeli dignitary.

Starmer last met Herzog in Paris more than a year ago, where he lauded UK-Israel ties and reiterated support for Israel’s right to self-defence. Since then, however, both he and Foreign Secretary Lammy have adopted a markedly more critical stance on the Gaza offensive, amplifying calls within Labour that this visit needs to be carefully handled.

As impassioned voices across the party continue to clash, the UK now faces a moment of reckoning: each gesture—or absence—speaks volumes about its stance on one of the most fraught international crises of our era