Report: Israeli President Isaac Herzog to visit UK next week

The Israeli president is set to visit London next Thursday, just days before Britain is expected to recognise Palestinian statehood at the UN general assembly later this month, according to UK media reports.

Isaac Herzog is expected to meet ministers and senior political figures, the Guardian reported on Thursday, but Downing Street has not yet confirmed a meeting.

The latest, unannounced, visit is likely to spark outrage among Labour backbenchers and other MPs, since the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is wanted for alleged war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

Herzog has backed Israel's military operations in Gaza. In October 2023 he claimed that all Palestinians in Gaza were "unequivocally" responsible for the 7 October Hamas attack.

"It is not true this rhetoric about civilians not aware, not involved," he said in remarks that are widely accused of having been genocidal in nature. 

MEE has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.

Herzog's reported trip is one of many by senior Israeli officials to the UK over the last two years of the genocidal campaign in Gaza.

On 25 November 2024, Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi flew to Britain on a secret trip and met Lord Richard Hermer, the attorney general. The Labour government gave Halevi special mission immunity for the trip.

In mid-April, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar made a similarly clandestine trip to the UK and met the foreign secretary.

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That visit was just days after Israeli authorities detained and deported Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, two Labour MPs.

The head of the Israeli air force, Major General Tomer Bar, also recently met senior British defence officials on a visit to the UK.

Herzog's expected visit comes amid frayed diplomatic relations between Britain and Israel.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told parliament on Monday afternoon that the government intends to make good on its threat to recognise a Palestinian state later this month if Israel does not meet a series of conditions. 

These conditions, announced in late July, included that Israel agree to a ceasefire and commit not to annex any of the occupied West Bank. 

Israeli ministers have declared their intention to move toward annexation of large parts of the West Bank.

Netanyahu has accused the UK and other countries pledging to recognise a Palestinian state of siding with Hamas.

More quietly, however, military cooperation has continued.

The government has exempted licences for UK parts for F-35 fighter jets, which are used in Gaza, from an arms embargo on Israel.

Surveillance flights over Gaza, from which Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) gives intelligence to Israel, have also continued.

The MoD has insisted the flights are to aid in hostage rescue, but they are shrouded in secrecy and it is unclear whether the data provided has been used in Israeli air strikes that have killed civilians.