Middle East minister Hamish Falconer has told Jewish News how his role has given him a “terrible front row set” to the “scurrilous rise in antisemitism”.
In an interview held six months after he was appointed into the ministerial role by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the former civil servant, now MP for Lincoln, said he recognised some of the “particular sensitivities” with the UK Jewish community over the government’s approach to policy around Israel.
But he added: “The Jewish community is incredibly important to this government. We have made a real commitment to try to ensure the community got the support they need over what is a scurrilous rise in antisemitism.
“I’m afraid, as the Minister for the Middle East, you get a sort of terrible front row seat… all over my social media, and often repeated to me. I am very conscious of what you describe as the defensiveness that the Jewish community can feel about these issues.”
But the former diplomat and son of Lord Falconer, who served as Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary under Tony Blair, accepted it was clear that the UK government would continue to have disagreements with Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Israel.
But critically, he added: “We continue to stand with Israel and its legitimate self-defence against Iran those that wish harm against the Israeli people.”
In a wide-ranging interview Falconer, 39, also made clear his opinion, which has been influenced by his time working as a civil servant under the previous government, that the regime in Iran represents “a threat to the people in the UK.”
Rabbi Josh Levy and Rabbi Charley Baginsky met with Middle East minister Hamish Falconer MP
But explaining why the government had not moved to counter this threat by proscribing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) force which operates abroad, Falconer said “the nature of the threat posed by Iran is clearly linked to the way that state itself behaves”.
He said the Foreign Office in cooperation with colleagues in the Home Office were working on conclusions that could tackle this link, which he hoped would be outlined in the near future.
“My view is that the IRGC are a threat to the people of the UK, “the minister said, pointing to the 20-odd plots on British soil with an Iranian hand behind them since 2022.
There is “no doubt” about the danger posed by the organisation, he added, but with his own background in counter-terrorism, Falconer is of the view that this threat is linked to “the way the state itself behaves”.
It was necessary, therefore, he argued, to put in place measures that were specific to this link between the IRGC and the Iranian state itself. The previous proscription of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah did not have to make this connection.
Hamish Falconer addresses Haaretz conference at JW3
Speaking hours before the ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas was confirmed, Falconer was understandably cautious of jeopardising any attempt to bring a pause in the deadly war.
But in a statement issued later on Monday, Falconer, said: “The hostage ceasefire deal offers a moment of hope for the Israeli and Palestinian people. This intense diplomatic effort must continue in the days and weeks ahead. ”
Speaking to the United Nations he said the ceasefire was a “moment of hope”.
He said the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) faces a cliff edge in its ability to support Palestinian refugees across the West Bank and Gaza.
In the same speech he also urged support for their ability to operate and continue its vital work in Gaza, delivering aid to those most in need.
During his visit to the UN, the Minister also announced the UK is also increasing its humanitarian spend on Yemen by £5million this financial year bringing our total commitment to £144 million.
Speaking to Jewish News he continued to defend the decision taken by the government to restore funding to the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, soon after the general election last July.
Falconer said he had heard and understood the strength of feeling from some communal organisations about the decision adding “obviously any allegations of UNRWA staff involvement in terrorism are concerning.”
But the minister said the government had confidence that the recommendations of a UN backed report into evidence that some UNRWA employees were supporters of Hamas, were being addressed.
“It is vital that the body mandated by the United Nations offering assistance that so many Palestinian people need is able to do so at the scale and pace that is required,” he added.
Falconer stressed that the government continued to believe legislation passed by Israel last October to effectively stop UNRWA for effectively operating “is wrong”.
“We call on our Israeli counterparts to take the necessary steps to ensure that Palestinian life can be preserved in accordance with the obligations under international humanitarian law that fall on Israel as the occupying power.”
Falconer was also understandably cautious about discussing potential points of disagreement between the UK government and that of Donald Trump’s in America ahead of Monday’s inauguration.
But he said he was “confident we will have close dialogue and productive relations with the new American administration as we did with their predecessors and as the UK did during the first Trump administration.”
Falconer noted that he was a civil servant during this period and he “knows how deep these relationships continue to be.”
“That special relationship is very deep, and will continue to be so,” he added.
