Israel’s foreign minister raises rising UK antisemitism in call with Cooper
Gideon Sa'ar reveals detail from latest call with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, has expressed concern about “the rise in violent antisemitic incidents in the UK” during his latest telephone conversation with Yvette Cooper.
In a post on X, Sa’ar said he also used the call with the Foreign Secretary to mention a recent article by former UK PM Tony Blair, who had “pointed to the connection between the irresponsible delegitimisation of Israel and the rise of antisemitism in the West.”
Sa’ar wrote:” I expressed concern over the rise in violent antisemitic incidents in the UK.
“I referred to the arson attack on ambulances belonging to the Hatzala organisation last week.
“Antisemitism in the UK, as well as in other countries, is spreading like wildfire and requires treatment at its roots.”
After referencing the Blair article, Sa’ar revealed he had also raised concerns about the Lebanese government’s actions in relation to the conflict with Iran.
“I drew the Foreign Secretary’s attention to the troubling fact that the Lebanese Foreign Ministry’s decision to expel the Iranian ambassador has remained on paper only,” he said.
“Just as the Lebanese government’s decision to disarm Hezbollah has also remained on paper only.
“Just as the Lebanese army’s statement three months ago claiming it had achieved ‘operational control’ in southern Lebanon up to the Litani River was baseless.
“In contrast, the 5,000 missiles, rockets, and drones fired at Israel since March 2nd are entirely real. Israel has the right to defend itself and will continue to act to protect its citizens.”
In an article for The Times, Blair warned that “parts of the left cast the Jewish community as supporters of the government of Israel. And Jews become ‘fair game’”.
The latest official figures on hate crime recorded by police in England and Wales showed Jewish people had the highest rate of religious hate crimes targeted at them of any faith group.
Two people were killed in a deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester in October 2025 and, in a separate investigation earlier this month, two men were charged with allegedly spying on Jewish people and locations for Iran.
Figures published earlier this year by the Community Security Trust (CST), suggest the second-highest annual total ever recorded for anti-Jewish hate incidents was reached in 2025.
The group, which monitors antisemitism in the UK, looked at every month in 2025 and concluded there were 3,700 incidents, up 4% on the 3,556 incidents recorded in 2024.
The highest annual record remained at 4,298 antisemitic incidents reported in 2023, the year of the October 7 attack, which prompted a spike in recorded cases of anti-Jewish hate in the UK.
CST’s 2025 report was also the first time more than 200 cases of anti-Jewish hate were recorded in every calendar month.
The UK Government has committed to maintaining the Jewish community protective security grant in the next financial year, with £28 million allocated.
The phone call comes just two weeks since Cooper last spoke with her Israeli counterpart.
Jewish News has approached the UK Foreign Office for a response.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
