LONDON: Israeli 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 country.
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.
Israel has been angered by Britain’s plans to join several other Western countries, including France and Canada, in recognizing a Palestinian state later this month — unless Israel meets conditions including a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Things were said that were tough and strong, and clearly we can argue, because when allies meet, they can argue. We are both democracies,” Herzog said at a later Chatham House event.
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.
