Pro-Israel rally outside Downing Street calls to ‘Sanction Terror Not Judea and Samaria’

On Wednesday evening, a pro-Israel rally took place outside Downing Street, rallying against recent sanctions imposed by the British government on Israeli settlements. The event, organized by the Jewish-led group Stop the Hate UK, was called "Sanction Terror Not Judea and Samaria." At the protest, Richard Tice, a Stop the Hate UK activist, questioned Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband about the potential for sanctions to encourage antisemitism in Britain. Miliband responded by stating that Tice was wrong to ask such a question.

The rally saw protesters displaying banners that read "Sanction Terror Not Judea and Samaria" and "Israel is an Ally not an Enemy." Stop the Hate UK founder Itai Galmudy criticized the government for applying double standards to Israel, contrasting its harsh economic measures against Israel with more targeted responses in regions like Yemen and southern Lebanon. Galmudy questioned why the UK treats these regions differently, emphasizing that such actions single out Israel and risk alienating key democratic allies.

Mark Birbeck, founder of the grassroots campaign Our Fight, warned of the growing anti-Israel sentiment and alleged that antisemitic ideology had infiltrated British politics. Birbeck claimed that anti-Israel prejudice was evolving into an ideology and called for the rally's participants to rally their forces against this growing prejudice.

Comedian Josh Howie also spoke at the demonstration, criticizing the government's motives and policy decisions. He argued that boycotting goods from Judea and Samaria would not bring peace, harm Palestinian jobs, and push the two-state solution further away. Howie suggested that the policy was a political move aimed at gaining votes from the far-left and certain Muslim communities.

Stop the Hate UK's Richard Tice attended the rally and harshly criticized the Labour government for its policy shifts, describing them as a "grave mistake" that emboldens antisemites and damages strategic relationships with allies like the US and Israel. Tice urged for a general election within the next three years, stating that it would hold the UK's prime minister and foreign secretary accountable for their decisions.