President Isaac Herzog said he had argued with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Downing Street on Wednesday during a "tough" meeting that covered deep disagreements over recent behavior by each other's countries.
The meeting comes a day after Israel expanded its attacks on Hamas by launching an airstrike aimed at killing the Islamist group's political leaders in Qatar, a British ally in the Middle East, which Starmer condemned.
He said Starmer's plan for Palestinian statehood and his views on humanitarian aid in Gaza had been the root of the disagreement and added that he had invited the British government to undertake a fact-finding mission to Israel.
Earlier, the two men briefly shook hands without smiling on the steps of Downing Street before they entered the building.
Starmer had planned to raise with Herzog the Israeli airstrike on Qatar as well as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. His office had not yet published its summary of the meeting.
Asked earlier on Wednesday why he was meeting Herzog, Starmer said: "I will not give up on diplomacy, that is the politics of students."
Earlier, Herzog announced that he would meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street to discuss the UK’s intention to recognize a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly in September and rising antisemitism.
According to the President's Residence, the meeting comes “against the backdrop of recent statements by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and members of his government regarding Israel, the UK’s expected decision to recognize a Palestinian state, and the ugly wave of antisemitism across Britain.”
The meeting aims to voice a “firm opposition to the British government’s recent stance on Israel,” the statement read.
“The President will express strong objections to the British government’s intention to recognize a Palestinian state, and protest the notion of sanctions against the only democracy in the Middle East,” it also added.
Herzog's office warned that recognizing a Palestinian state at this time would "constitute a reward for terror" and undermine efforts to release the hostages and end the war in Gaza.
It further detailed, “The President will emphasize that Israel’s determined struggle against the Iranian empire of evil and its terror proxies is the struggle of the entire free world, including Great Britain.”
He will also stress that the free world, including the UK, must not cave into pressure from extremist groups and insist on the immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages.
Herzog's office added that the president would make it clear that sanctions against Israel, its leaders, and citizens are "unacceptable."
UK to recognize Palestinian state in September
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the UK Cabinet that the UK will recognize a Palestinian state in September, unless the Israeli government takes "substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza," Starmer's office announced back in July.
Israel must also make clear that there will be no annexation in the West Bank, Starmer threatened.
Most recently, the British government also determined that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told the chair of the international development committee in a letter on September 1.
This differs significantly from the government’s previous position, which was that only courts can decide whether Israel is or is not committing genocide. It also marks the first time the UK government has stated explicitly that Israel’s actions in Gaza do not count as genocide.
Mathilda Heller contributed to this report.