Recognising a ‘Palestinian state’ is Sir Keir Starmer’s Neville Chamberlain moment

The British Government has recognised a ‘Palestinian state’. This is Sir Keir Starmer’s Neville Chamberlain moment.

Apparently the promises to do ‘everything possible’ to bring the hostages home meant nothing. The Government could have made recognition conditional on the return of the hostages — at the absolute very least — but Sir Keir refused even to do that, so urgent apparently was the need to delight terrorists and their supporters while betraying the families of the hostages whom he had looked in the eye and earnestly pledged to help.

The message could not be clearer: murder, rape, kidnapping and indoctrination are legitimate paths to diplomatic gain — Hamas leaders have called this moment “the fruit of 7th October”. Additional sanctions against Hamas will have zero impact and do nothing to blunt the delight amongst Hamas’ leaders. This is not statesmanship or peacemaking; it is the deliberate betrayal of those taken hostage and slain on 7th October 2023 and a reward that has delighted Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and their supporters.

This morally reprehensible decision was explicitly made in the context of a war between Israel, on which conditions were placed, against antisemitic terrorists, on whom no conditions were placed. It will surely prolong war by encouraging those terrorists to continue to hold hostages and to perpetrate further antisemitic terrorism because this act of recognition is a declaration that the UK rewards violence against Jews.

All but a small minority of British people recognise this and do not support this shameful betrayal of this country’s values, with a new poll showing that almost 90% of the British public do not back Sir Keir’s recognition of a ‘Palestinian state’.

We fear that our Government’s virtue signalling will have an impact here at home too, as Islamist terrorists around the world digest the lessons from this betrayal. History shows that appeasement eventually brings the aggressor to your door.

So why did Sir Keir announce it? “Because,” as the Prime Minister of Israel said at the UN, addressing him and the other Western leaders who made similar announcements, “you don’t have the guts to face down a hostile media and antisemitic mobs demanding Israel’s blood.”

Last weekend, the Prime Minister made his priorities clear.

We displayed outside Parliament the words of senior Hamas leader Ghazi Hamed: “The initiative by several countries to recognise a Palestinian state is one of the fruits of October 7.”

Sir Keir Starmer’s recognition of a ‘Palestinian state’ hands Hamas the reward it craves and tells the world that terrorism pays.

We have published an open letter to Sir Keir Starmer regarding the announcement.

Add your name and stand with the Jewish community.

Sir Keir Starmer decided to recognise a Palestinian state even as Jewish hostages continue to suffer in the hands of murderous Hamas terrorists.

Is this decision a reward for terror or a positive, overdue step?

Elie went onto the streets to find out. Watch the full video here.

Sir Keir’s Rosh Hashanah message to the Jewish community almost felt like he was trolling British Jews.

He was among the last people that the Jewish community were wanting to receive Rosh Hashanah greetings from, given his act of betrayal just days prior.

You cannot reward the Hamas rapists and murderers who carried out the worst pogrom against the Jews since the Holocaust and then the next day tell Jews that you “stand shoulder to shoulder” with us as though nothing had happened.

The man who vowed to “tear out antisemitism by its roots” has betrayed Britain’s Jews and poured fuel on the fire. It is unforgivable.

Is British taxpayer money going to Hamas?

We have previously written about how British taxpayer money not only may be going to Hamas, an antisemitic genocidal terrorist organisation that seeks to murder Jews, but could actually be one of its main sources of funding.

Now, the Daily Express has reported that a Foreign Office official met with Hamas terrorists just three months after the group was proscribed in full, and assured them that the newly extended ban would not prevent the continuation of British funding.

Although this meeting took place under the previous Government, it confirms recent reports about British aid money being transferred to Hamas-controlled entities and raises yet more questions about whether the Foreign Office is complying with the law.

Kneecap case thrown out after latest CPS debacle

The terrorism charge against Kneecap’s Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh has been thrown out.

The charge related to the alleged display of a flag in support of Hizballah, a proscribed antisemitic terrorist organisation, at a concert at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town on 21st November last year.

Footage of the concert in question appeared to show a member of the band, draped in a Hizballah flag, shouting to the crowd, “Up Hamas, up Hizballah.”

Hamas and Hizballah are both proscribed terrorist organisations in the UK.

The Chief Magistrate threw out the charge because the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had failed to get the consent of the Attorney General to bring the case within the legal timeframe.

This is a matter of utter incompetence by the authorities.

For the avoidance of doubt, this does not mean that Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh is innocent of the charge: far from it. The Chief Magistrate underscored that point.

Rather, it means that the CPS has once again botched an antisemitism case. The list of bungled CPS prosecutions of antisemitic hate crimes is rapidly growing longer than the sparse list of successful ones. A minuscule ten percent of British Jews think that the CPS does enough to protect them, according to our representative polling. The CPS gives them little reason why they should not think that.

What good is our criminal justice system if it cannot get its act together in a case of a man stood draped in the flag of a proscribed terrorist organisation that wants to annihilate all Jews shouting “Up Hamas, up Hizballah”?

This is a prime example of how difficult it is for British Jews to get justice in this country. Not long ago, the CPS dropped all charges after men drove through London in broad daylight with a megaphone shouting “F*** the Jews…rape their daughters.”

A lot of Jewish people are starting to throw up their hands in despair at the dire state of our criminal justice system, which clearly is incapable of delivering justice.

At a time of raging antisemitic hate crime, the response of the criminal justice system has been beyond woeful, and its priorities have been embarrassing.

British Jews despair of their safety in Britain. That is not only because of the racist wickedness of the perpetrators but also because of the fecklessness of those we are all paying to protect us.

Heads should roll over this latest humiliating debacle. But they won’t.

It’s just the Jews, after all.

Goldsmiths: an antisemitism investigation

Goldsmiths, University of London has a reputation for producing some of Britain’s most successful creatives, and its arts degrees are consistently ranked highly across the board.

Earlier this year, however, it released the findings of a years-long independent investigation into antisemitism at the University following reports of anti-Jewish racism targeting students and staff.

Among the horrendous incidents cited in the report was graffiti on campus containing swastikas and the text, “Gas the Jews” and QR codes on campus with the text: “What you need to know about the Jews”. The QR code led to images of concentration camps. You can read more about the report here.

The report confirmed what the Jewish community had long known: Jews at Goldsmiths were facing antisemitism, and the University failed in its duty of care for them.

We decided to investigate for ourselves. Watch the full video here.

One NHS doctor suspended as another inexplicably has interim suspension lifted

A doctor who was photographed holding a placard with the Israeli flag and the words “rape”, “steal”, “cry”, “lie”, “cheat” and “kill” has reportedly been suspended over alleged social media activity.

Here are just some of the posts that were reportedly discovered:

• “The ‘non-civilians’ are Hamas and whether they are 1% or 18% of the Palestinians slaughtered, they should not have been killed either. Do not inadvertently white wash the murder of Hamas members. They are a political party and oppressed resistence [sic] fighters. NOT terrorists.”
• “Jews who do not oppose Zionism have feelings of superiority by definition. Anti Zionist Jews mostly STILL centre their identity. Feelings of superiority is a minority view in each group. Amongst Jews; vast majority. They are a privileged group, yet moan about anti-semitism etc.”
• “And anybody saying ‘not all Jews’ doesn’t get it. You are like the ‘not all men’ (Me Too protests) and ‘all lives matter’ (BLM protests) brigades. Clutching your pearls and deflecting from the evil that is going on; Jews slaughtering non Jews.”
• Clearly this rhetoric – some of which attempts to sanitise Hamas, an antisemitic genocidal terror group – is beyond the pale to any reasonable person.

Not only would Jewish staff and patients feel deeply uncomfortable working with or being treated by practitioners who openly espouse such deranged and inflammatory views, but so, frankly, would anybody else.

We want doctors who are level-headed, sober and professional and anyone who published posts like these are clearly anything but.

Meanwhile, in a total dereliction of duty, it has been decided that Dr Rahmeh Aladwan will be allowed to continue to practise despite being under investigation.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) ruled that Dr Aladwan, who uses her social media and public appearances to wage a campaign of hatred against British Jews, is fit to continue practising medicine while she is under investigation by the General Medical Council (GMC).

Dr Aladwan rose to notoriety earlier this year as some of her earlier rhetoric was revealed.

This is an inexplicable and disgraceful decision—one that marks the UK’s continued descent into the abyss, as institutions that carry the responsibility for protecting people from extremists are seemingly bending over backwards to appease and turn a blind eye to them.

The MPTS has failed spectacularly in its duty. It is staggering that it believes that a doctor who appears to defend armed jihad and violent attacks on Jews, posted a photo of a Hamas terrorist and described a hospital as a ‘cesspit of Jewish supremacy’ should continue to practise.

We will be closely following the GMC’s investigation, which must now proceed apace.

In the meantime, we are in discussion with our legal advisors with regard to the options open to us.

Following the decision, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that he has no confidence in the medical regulation system.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Director of Investigations and Enforcement, Stephen Silverman, appeared on GB News to discuss the case.

The BBC: jokes and boycotts?

The BBC and Britain’s other public sector broadcasters have reportedly united to demand of Ofcom new regulations to force YouTube and other online platforms to give them more prominence in part to “combat misinformation”.

Is this a joke, we wondered?

Regardless of the merits or otherwise of regulating YouTube, anyone in the Jewish community – and many other groups besides – will find this from the BBC absolutely laughable.

When it comes to matters concerning the Jewish community and the Jewish state, the BBC is one of the biggest spreaders of misinformation in the UK, and has played an outsized role in fanning the flames of antisemitism in our country.

The notion that its journalism – some of which is so transparently biased as to barely deserve the name – should have even more advantages than it already receives is an insult to those of us who have long campaigned for fundamental reform at our national broadcaster, for which (unlike any YouTube channel) we are forced to pay.

Here are three examples from just the past week.

First, as Lord Austin courageously pointed out in the House of Lords, the BBC – and Parliament – largely ignored the Government’s assessment that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza, but lavished attention on the conclusion of a UN Human Rights Council taskforce that it is.

This matters, because these slanders fuel hatred of Jews in Britain.

Second, the BBC has reportedly refused to rule out boycotting Eurovision 2026 if Israel is allowed to take part.

Eurovision is supposed to be a celebration of togetherness, using music to bring nations closer. Excluding the world’s only Jewish state represents the antithesis of this sentiment.

At this year’s Eurovision contest, Israel’s National Security Council was forced to issue a warning advising Jews and Israelis visiting Switzerland, the host country, to “avoid displaying Israeli and Jewish symbols in public” for their own safety.

More than four-fifths (84%) of British Jews agree that boycotts of Israeli artists, academics or businesses selling Israeli products constitute intimidation, according to our representative polling.

When antisemitism is at record levels, capitulating to those who hate the world’s only Jewish state does nothing to help. Quite the contrary, in fact.

Third, the BBC has ruled that Bob Vylan’s chant of “Death, death to the IDF” and antisemitic slurs at Glastonbury broke its rules on harm and offence — but ludicrously decided that this was not incitement to violence.

This absurd decision is yet another an insult to British Jews from our national broadcaster. The BBC had a chance to put right some of the harm that it caused by broadcasting this vile performance. Instead, it has betrayed the Jewish community yet again.

If openly calling for “death” is not incitement, then the BBC has abandoned all pretence of protecting the public – or at least the Jewish public. Until there is a full, truly independent inquiry, the BBC simply cannot be trusted.

We are continuing to write to venues intending to host musical duo Bob Vylan, requesting that they reconsider their invitations to the rappers.

In addition to chanting “Death to the IDF” and ranting about “working for f***ing Zionists” on stage at Glastonbury Festival, Pascal Robinson-Foster – one of Bob Vylan’s members – has also proclaimed: “The only good pig is a dead pig.”

Now, in a recent performance, reports claim that Mr Robinson-Foster said: “F*** the fascists, f**** the Zionists, get out there and fight there, get out there and meet them in the streets, get out there and let them know that you do not f***ing stand by them, you understand me?”

At that same concert, footage appears to show Mr Robinson-Foster mockingly dedicating a song to Charlie Kirk, a prominent political activist murdered last week: “The pronouns was/were. Cause if you chat s**** you will get banged. Rest in peace Charlie Kirk, you piece of s****.”

Join our team!

We are looking for a Communications and Research Officer, early in their career, to join our team and help us raise awareness of the reality and impact of antisemitism.

For more information, please visit antisemitism.org/jobs.

Become a Student Ambassador!

We are looking for Student Ambassadors for the coming academic year!

Apply now at antisemitism.org/become-a-student-ambassador.

Please share this link with anyone who may be interested in this role.

Let’s make a difference to campus life in the UK.

Help us expose.
Help us report.
Help us support.

Places are limited and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis so don’t wait to apply!

Saying goodbye to Holocaust survivor Ruth Posner

We were heartbroken this week to learn of the passing of Ruth Posner BEM, Holocaust survivor and educator, and her husband Michael.

Ruth was forced into the Radom Ghetto as a child but, thanks to a plan created by her father, she managed to escape with her aunt. She later discovered, however, that her remaining family were murdered in the Treblinka extermination camp.

Ruth made her way to the United Kingdom as a teenager. Years later, she would meet her loving husband, Michael, and go on to live a remarkable life travelling and working across the world, becoming an accomplished dancer and actor, performing and teaching at some of the world’s most prestigious venues and institutions.

She would also go on to speak publicly of her experiences during the Holocaust, educating future generations and never shying away from taking part in the fight against antisemitism. Ruth was also a great friend of Campaign Against Antisemitism, standing proudly alongside us in this vital work.

We were honoured to have been able to feature her on Britain’s first-ever national billboard campaign against antisemitism in 2023.

We were also privileged to have interviewed her on an episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism. You can listen to her remarkable story here.

You can read her obituary in The Times here (paywall).

Thank you, Ruth. You were an inspiration and a shining example of how to use one’s voice for good in this world. You will be greatly missed.

May their memories be a blessing.

Our incredible supporters

Many of you have written to us thanking us for organising Britain’s March Against Antisemitism and telling us why it was so important to you to attend.

Here is just one of the myriad extraordinary messages that we received:

“You ask why I came to the March. I am a 79-year-old Scottish woman living in Sutherland. When I was fourteen I came across a book ‘Lest We Forget’ in the corner of a room we used for sports equipment, train sets, etc. I got halfway through and was sick.

“I could never go into that room again nor talk about what I saw for the next 30 years. I had and still have intrusive thoughts almost daily. Until very recently I could never watch or read anything about the Holocaust and still can’t look at any images.

“I now have terminal cancer and thinking of a lot of ‘doing one last things’. Attending the march came at the top.

“I asked a friend to look after my dogs but when she knew where I was going and why she refused. So I had to make the journey to and from London in one day as I couldn’t find a replacement dog sitter!

“I am a practicing Christian. I am so proud I did this! And I’m not afraid to speak up.”

You can find photographs of the march here, interviews with attendees here and videos of the speeches here.

You can also show your support for Campaign Against Antisemitism and the fight against the oldest hatred by wearing our merchandise and displaying your love for Jewish friends and opposition to Jew-hate.

Visit antisemitism.org/shop.

It is also customary at this time of year around Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) to make donations to charity.

Please consider supporting Campaign Against Antisemitism and safeguarding the future of Jewish life in Britain.

This week, Jews across Britain and around the world will be observing Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

It is a time to reflect on shortcomings and missed opportunities, and commit to doing better in the coming year.

We hope that our Prime Minister atones for and reverses his morally reprehensible decision to recognise a ‘Palestinian state’ while Jewish hostages languish in dungeons.

To those celebrating next week, we also wish you a joyous Sukkot, albeit tempered by the second anniversary of 7th October as our thoughts remain with the hostages and their families and we all continue to endure the surge of antisemitism unleashed by the Hamas massacre.