'What message are we sending?': Anger over Israeli president's planned visit to UK

Ministers are being urged not to conscionable the Israeli president during an expected sojourn adjacent week, arsenic the authorities continues to condemn his country's expanded subject violative successful Gaza.

Isaac Herzog volition beryllium successful Britain connected Wednesday and Thursday, according to The Guardian.

Downing Street has declined to comment, lone saying it would acceptable retired immoderate visits "in the mean way".

Labour's Sarah Champion is among the MPs to person voiced their absorption to immoderate specified plans, suggesting it volition undermine the government's condemnation of Israel's actions successful Gaza.

The Rotherham MP, who chairs the International Development Select Committee, said: "The UK has recognised the 'real risk' of genocide perpetuated by Israel, truthful unless this gathering is astir peace, what connection are we sending?"

Israel denies accusations it is committing genocide successful Gaza, and British ministers person refused to usage the term. They accidental it remains a substance for the International Court of Justice.

But Sir Keir Starmer has been progressively captious of Israel's operation, which has expanded importantly implicit the summer, with plans for the takeover of Gaza City.

The premier curate has said the UK volition recognise a Palestinian authorities astatine a gathering of the UN's wide assembly this month, unless Israel meets respective conditions it seems acceptable to ignore.

They see taking substantive steps to extremity the "appalling concern successful Gaza", and agreeing to a ceasefire.

'Beyond disgusted'

Israel says his program - which matches those of France and Canada, among others - constitutes a reward for Hamas, whose onslaught connected 7 October 2023 triggered the existent conflict.

Hamas militants killed 1,200 radical successful confederate Israel, chiefly civilians, and took 251 radical hostage.

In the 2 years since, the Hamas-run wellness ministry says the fig killed successful Gaza has surpassed 64,000. Most of Gaza's colonisation has been displaced, with famine declared successful Gaza City.

Other critics of Mr Herzog's sojourn see erstwhile Labour shadiness chancellor John McDonnell MP, who said it would "shame our country".

Zarah Sultana MP - who discontinue Labour to co-lead a caller enactment with Jeremy Corbyn, who is starring a tribunal into the government's merchantability of arms to Israel - said she was "beyond disgusted" and called for Mr Herzog to beryllium arrested.

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'The lone solution is done discussion'

Unlike Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, determination is nary planetary apprehension warrant for Mr Herzog, whose relation is mostly ceremonial.

He is from a antithetic governmental enactment to the PM, and has been captious implicit home issues, but has mostly supported warfare efforts successful Gaza.

Labour's Emily Thornberry MP, seat of the Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Guardian "efforts should beryllium made to engage" with the president.

While a beardown professional of Israel, she told the paper "the lone solution to this is done politics, done discussion".

"Herzog is easier to speech to than galore successful the utmost right-wing authorities successful Israel," she added. "But we mustn't propulsion our punches."