The UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation has warned that tolerating hatred against Israelis is fuelling antisemitism and undermining public safety. Jonathan Hall KC said British police have failed to enforce existing hate-crime laws properly, allowing anti-Israel rhetoric to become a pathway for hostility towards Jews, reports The Times of Israel.
Speaking at an event organised by the Policy Exchange think tank, Hall said that “the demonisation of Israelis matters because it is a vehicle for hatred of Jews.” He argued that police reluctance to address anti-Israeli incitement has created space for antisemitism to flourish under the guise of political protest.
Hall said laws against inciting racial hatred already apply to nationality and therefore cover Israelis. He criticised police for prioritising public order over enforcement when faced with inflammatory slogans at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including chants such as “death to the IDF,” “globalise the intifada,” and “from the river to the sea.” According to Hall, failing to act against such rhetoric poses a national security risk.
“I do not believe the law is being enforced as it should be,” Hall said. “Once hatred towards Israelis is tolerated, it is carried around like a flame.” He added that inciting hatred is often a precursor to violence and should be addressed before it escalates into serious harm or terrorism.
Hall stressed that Israeli citizens living in the UK are entitled to the same protection as any other group. “We have lost our collective senses if we permit the demonising of holders of any nationality who live in our tolerant and open society,” he said. He warned that hatred directed at Zionists frequently spills over into hostility towards all Israelis and Jews worldwide.
British Jewish organisations have long argued that unchecked anti-Israel activism has contributed to a sharp rise in antisemitism across the country. Those fears intensified following the Manchester Yom Kippur terror attack in October, when a man rammed a vehicle into pedestrians outside a synagogue before attacking people with a knife. Two men were killed during the incident. In December, three men were also convicted for plotting an Islamic State-inspired mass shooting targeting Jews in England.
According to figures from the Community Security Trust, antisemitic incidents in the UK have surged since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023. Large anti-Israel protests began within days of the attack and continued throughout the Gaza war, even before Israel launched its ground operation.
Hall also addressed the controversial decision to ban supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a football match in Birmingham last November. The ban was imposed after West Midlands Police cited public safety concerns. Hall said that if police had intelligence indicating Islamist threats against Israeli fans, the correct response should have been to address the threat itself rather than exclude the victims.
“If intelligence showed that local Islamists were preparing to attack Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters, that could only have been due to hatred towards Israelis,” Hall said. He later criticised police for using incorrect information to justify the ban and for falsely claiming Jewish community support for the decision.
The affair has led to parliamentary scrutiny and calls for accountability within West Midlands Police. Israel’s Foreign Ministry has also urged action over the handling of the incident, which critics say reflects a broader failure to protect Jewish and Israeli communities in the UK.
Hall’s remarks were rejected by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, whose representatives accused him of conflating antisemitism with anti-Zionism. However, Hall maintained that ignoring hatred directed at Israelis has real consequences and risks normalising antisemitism in public life.
Photo credit: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP
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