LONDON — Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Britain has ignited a storm of protest, with rights groups and political figures urging his arrest on suspicion of war crimes.
Herzog arrived quietly in the United Kingdom on Tuesday, ahead of a scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and an address at the Chatham House think tank. His trip, set to run through Friday, comes during a week of intense Israeli strikes across Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar and Yemen — a backdrop that has made his presence in London a lightning rod for anger.
The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians said it had written to Scotland Yard demanding Herzog be investigated “on suspicion of bearing criminal liability for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, and actions that constitute plausible genocide.”
Friends of Al-Aqsa, a UK-based advocacy group, has gone further, petitioning Britain’s top prosecutors to issue an arrest warrant against Herzog. “Every official, no matter how senior, must be held accountable for attacks on civilians,” said Ismail Patel, the group’s chair.
Herzog, president since 2021, holds a largely ceremonial role but has become a vocal defender of Israel’s military campaign. In October 2023, after Hamas’s deadly incursion into southern Israel, he declared: “The entire [Palestinian] nation out there … is responsible.” Weeks later, he signed an artillery shell bound for Gaza.
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For critics, such gestures epitomize collective punishment. “This visit is a test of leadership and principle,” said Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Amnesty International UK. “Polite handshakes and warm words will demonstrate neither. The UK will be judged on whether it took strong action against genocide, or helped to whitewash it.”
On Tuesday, protesters with pots and pans gathered outside Chatham House to disrupt Herzog’s appearance. More demonstrations are planned throughout the week. The Green Party’s Zack Polanski called welcoming Herzog “a contravention of the Geneva Convention,” while dozens of lawmakers — including Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott, and Zarah Sultana — signed a letter warning Starmer that the visit risked signaling indifference to international law.
Herzog’s visit underscores the widening gap between Britain’s political establishment and public opinion. Tens of thousands have marched in London for nearly two years against Israel’s war in Gaza, where more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry. A July YouGov poll showed that more than half of Britons believe Israel’s actions are unjustified.
For many, Herzog’s arrival is more than a diplomatic occasion; it is a test of Britain’s willingness to balance alliances with accountability.