Israel’s minister for Diaspora Affairs has been criticised for “grossly irresponsible” comments after saying that he saw “no future for Jewish life in England…without a dramatic change of course by Britain’s leadership”.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Amichai Chikli strongly criticised the British government, claiming that Keir Starmer “knows full well England’s Hamas sympathisers are a significant part of his base”.
He added: ‘On the domestic front, in the very same breath that they [the British government] announce a ban on Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, they permit dozens of marches where chants of ‘jihad’ and ‘from the river to the sea’ are heard.
“And one must not forget the threats to arrest lone Jews on the grounds that they are ‘provoking’ simply by their presence or by holding critical signs near Hamas-supporter protests.”
Chikli went on to say: “Without a dramatic change of course by Britain’s political leadership, I see no future for Jewish life in England. My recommendation to Jews in the UK is to consider leaving and make aliyah to Israel.”
Responding to his comments, Claudia Mendoza, CEO of the Jewish Leadership Council said: “British Jews are fully aware of the rise in antisemitism and the collapse of community cohesion over the past 20 months. However, to suggest there is no future for Jews here is not only wrong, it is deeply irresponsible. We work, day in and day out, to ensure the future and vibrancy of our community and will not hand victory to the extremists quite that readily. We will continue to be proud British Jews for many generations to come.”
In his comments, Chikli also referred to the British government placing sanctions on two far-right Israeli Ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, saying that “imposing sanctions on Israeli elected officials whose views the Labour party dislikes crosses every red line between friendly nations.” It is unclear whether Chikli was also asked about the deportation of two Labour MPs upon their arrival in Israel in April.
Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs has a history of incendiary statements aimed at leaders of countries with large diaspora Jewish communities. In February he referred to Keir Starmer as a “pathetic doormat”, after the UK Prime Minister published a statement on the release of the hostage Eli Sharabi which did not specifically mention Hamas. In July 2023, he claimed that the team of the then-US President, Joe Biden, was co-ordinating with key political leaders in Israel opposing plans to weaken the Israeli Supreme Court, “every time they want to inflame the protests in Israel.”
In March, a significant number of Jewish lay and religious leaders from diaspora countries, including the UK, withdrew from a conference organised by Chikli, after learning that representatives of a number of European far-right parties, including France’s National Rally, Spain’s Vox and the Sweden Democrats, had been invited.
