Rights group: Herzog’s reception in Britain a green light for the genocide

The Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) said today that the British government’s reception of the President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog, reflects the 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.”

In a press statement issued today, the 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. The organization noted 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.

The 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.”

The 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.

The rights group 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.