UK outcry as Israeli president prepares to land in London

British media have reported that Herzog is scheduled to arrive in London on Wednesday to meet with senior officials. Although official details of the visit have not yet been announced, news of the trip quickly sparked backlash from pro-Palestinian groups and some politicians.

The organization Friends of Al-Aqsa (FOA) announced on Tuesday that it had appointed a legal team to seek Herzog’s arrest upon his arrival in the UK. Ismail Patel, the group’s chairman, stressed that “no official should enjoy impunity for attacks on civilians,” adding:

“We are demanding justice and the arrest of an individual who has openly supported attacks against the people of Gaza. Starmer’s invitation to Herzog is not only complicity but direct support for genocide in Gaza.”

At the same time, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) sent a letter to the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Unit, calling for an investigation into Herzog’s role in attacks on civilians. The group emphasized that even if Herzog benefits from diplomatic immunity, London police could still subject him to questioning.

Pressure has not come solely from civil society. UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting told Times Radio: “Herzog must answer for war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. With overwhelming evidence of Israeli military atrocities in Gaza, he must explain how such actions can be justified under the banner of a so-called ‘moral army.’”

Streeting also described testimony from British doctors returning from Gaza as “horrific,” noting: “For weeks, even baby formula failed to reach Gaza.”

His comments come as the UK government has so far refrained from using the term “genocide” to describe Israeli actions, instead labeling them “devastating and unacceptable.”

In a letter previously sent to the House of Commons, former UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated: “Under the Genocide Convention, this crime is established only when there is clear intent to destroy a group in whole or in part. The UK government has not concluded that Israel is acting with such intent.”