Israeli minister calls Starmer a 'Palestinian' after PM slams invitation of Tommy Robinson

Israeli Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli has disparagingly called the British prime minister "Palestinian" after Keir Starmer criticised him for inviting far-right activist and convicted criminal Tommy Robinson to Israel later this month.

Chikli's invitation on Friday followed an attack on a synagogue in the northern English city of Manchester on Thursday that killed two people and wounded four others.

The Israeli minister described Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, as a "courageous leader on the front line against radical Islam".

Starmer condemned the invitation on Monday, his spokesperson saying that Robinson "does not speak for the decent, tolerant, patriotic majority of this country".

Chikli hit back with a furious post on X, saying: "I couldn't have asked for a better holiday blessing than a condemnation from the Palestinian @Keir_Starmer."

"Thank you, Keir - we’re proud to host @TRobinsonNewEra and if you don’t like it, that's a sure sign it truly matters," he added.

Chikli appeared to be using the label Palestinian as an insult.

I couldn’t have asked for a better holiday blessing than a condemnation from the Palestinian @Keir_Starmer.
Thank you, Keir - we’re proud to host @TRobinsonNewEra and if you don’t like it, that’s a sure sign it truly matters.
🇮🇱🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/1XxmDpplqL

— עמיחי שיקלי - Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) October 6, 2025

Robinson has, over the past two decades, built a violent street movement, the English Defence League, focused on stoking fears of an Islamic takeover of the UK.

He has received prison sentences and community orders since 2003 for, among other things, football brawling, travelling on another man's passport to the US, mortgage fraud, possession of drugs, threatening behaviour and breach of a court order.

In 2021, he lost a libel lawsuit over his slurs against a Syrian schoolboy who was filmed being attacked at school.

He has widely been accused of making antisemitic remarks. He led the recent "Unite the Kingdom" protest in London, the largest demonstration led by the far right in recent UK history.

'A thug who represents the very worst of Britain'

Robinson said in a post on X that he will travel to Israel on 13 October and that he has accepted an invitation by the Israeli government to cover the cost of his flight and accommodation.

He said he will meet government leaders and visit the Knesset, Israel's parliament, as well as "Judea and Samaria", the name given by right-wing Israeli politicians to the occupied West Bank.

In response, leading British Jewish organisations, the Board of Deputies (BoD) and the Jewish Leadership Council, released a statement saying Robinson's "presence undermines those genuinely working to tackle Islamist extremism and foster community cohesion".

They described the far-right activist as "a thug" who "represents the very worst of Britain".

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Both bodies are generally supportive of the Israeli government, and in June the BoD suspended members of its board who criticised Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Chikli hit back, condemning the BoD on Saturday as being "openly aligned with left-wing, woke, pro-Palestinian parties".

"Just hours after Jews were murdered in Manchester," he said, "instead of demanding protection or holding the government accountable, the Board rushed for a photo-op with the prime minister."

Starmer himself has drawn domestic criticism for urging students not to attend pro-Palestine protests on Tuesday, the second anniversary of the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel.

Starmer claimed such protests would be "un-British" and show a lack of respect towards British Jews.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced on Saturday that the police would be given the ability to require protesters to change location if the demonstrators were responsible for "repeated disorder".

Tom Southerden, of Amnesty International UK, described the government’s plan as “ludicrous” and perhaps a “cynical” attempt to look tough.