Netanyahu Urges UK Prime Minister to Strengthen Stance Against Rising Anti-Semitism

Almost a year ago, Israel’s Prime Minister urged Sir Keir Starmer to take decisive action against anti-Semitic incidents in the UK, according to a letter recently exposed by the Daily Mail.

In the provocative correspondence, Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the Labour administration for allegedly permitting a wave of “violence against Jews,” reportedly driven by “Left-wing radicals and pro-Hamas extremists,” to flourish under their governance.

Netanyahu further accused Sir Keir of “fueling the anti-Semitic fire” by officially recognizing the state of Palestine, a move the Israeli leader described as an act of “appeasement.”

These disclosures come at a turbulent time for the Labour leader, who is grappling with a crisis following a series of assaults on Jewish sites, including the recent stabbing of two men in Golders Green, north-west London.

The letter, dated August 2025, states, “For years, anti-Semitism has plagued British cities. Since your election, it has worsened.”

It challenges Sir Keir over “the alarming increase of anti-Semitism in Britain and the insufficient response from your government to tackle it effectively.”

Mr Netanyahu wrote: ‘Following Hamas’s attack on the people of Israel on October 7, 2023, pro-Hamas extremists and left-wing radicals began a campaign of intimidation, vandalism and violence against Jews across Europe. In Britain, that campaign has amplified on your watch.’

Mr Netanyahu cited a number of attacks on the Jewish community in the months before he sent the letter, including Jewish teenagers being threatened with knives at a Tube station and diners at a kosher restaurant being assaulted. He wrote: ‘These are not isolated incidents. They are a pattern. They are an epidemic.’

People attend a Campaign Against Antisemitism ‘national emergency’ rally in Whitehall, central London, on Thursday 

The letter was penned as the UK government announced it was going to recognise Palestine, bypassing decades of bilateral negotiations with Israel.

‘Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this anti-Semitic fire. It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement,’ it read.

‘It emboldens those who menace British Jews and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets.’

The Israeli prime minister urged Britain to follow the approach of the US, which he said had taken robust action to clamp down on anti-Semitism by deporting Hamas sympathisers and revoking the visas of foreign students inciting violence.

The US President was protecting the civil rights of American Jews by enforcing the law, protecting public order and prosecuting anti-Semitic crimes, it said.

He signed off writing that ‘anti-Semitism is a cancer. It spreads when leaders stay silent. It retreats when leaders act. I call upon you to replace weakness with action and appeasement with resolve’.

Mr Netanyahu set a deadline for action by September 23, 2025, the Jewish New Year, warning ‘history will not forgive hesitation’.

A No 10 spokesman said: ‘The PM has been clear about his commitment to tackling vile anti-Semitism in the UK.’

The warning came months before what officials have described as the most serious surge in anti-Semitic attacks on British Jews in recent years.

Two worshippers were killed and several injured in a terror attack at Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester in October 2025

The UK’s threat level was lifted from ‘substantial’ to ‘severe’ last Thursday for the first time in more than four years, following the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green on Wednesday.

It followed a series of attacks in March when ambulances operated by a Jewish volunteer emergency service were set on fire, alongside further reports of attempted arson and attacks on synagogues in north London.