British Jews and other UK community groups marched in London to call for the release of hostages held by Hamas, with UK Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis criticizing the British government by echoing warnings that Prime Minister Keir Starmer would be rewarding terrorism by recognizing a Palestinian state.
Thousands marched from Lincoln’s Inn Fields to Downing Street on Sunday, many wearing yellow and carrying Israeli or British flags, according to social media posts by the Campaign Against Antisemitism and the Board of Deputies of British Jews. The event also featured speeches by community leaders, such as Mirvis, who called on the UK government to reverse its July 29 decision to recognize a Palestinian state unless the situation in Gaza changed.
Mirvis cited Israeli-British former hostage Emily Damari, who warned Starmer in a July 30 X/Twitter post that the move would not advance peace but reward terrorism. The rabbi noted that a senior Hamas official had also thanked the UK government for its statement and that the decision would be one of the fruits of the October 7 massacre.
“If a terrorist organization proscribed by the UK government is congratulating the UK government, it means there is something seriously wrong,” said Mirvis.
“How will you ever be able to live with the fact that you would have recognized a Palestinian state, at the head of which is a terrorist organization with the stated intention of destroying the state of Israel and bombing Jews right around the world, and all this at a time when the hostages are still languishing in the tunnels of Gaza?”
Mirvis relayed a story told to him by the family of Eitan Horn, who is still held in Hamas captivity. Both Eitan and his brother, Iair, who has since been released, were forced to run for their lives down a tunnel. Eitan collapsed from hunger and weakness and urged his brother to carry on without him. Iair reportedly lifted Eitan, stating, “Achim Anachnu,” we are brothers. Now, Iair is concerned that there is no one there to lift Eitan up.
“Our answer has to be, it’s all of us – we are the brothers and the sisters of every single one of the hostages, and nothing is going to stop us from doing what we can to secure their release,” said Mirvis.
“Until recently, our government was saying a similar thing. After meeting with the families of hostages and former hostages, they were continuously declaring that they would leave no stone unturned in their efforts for and on behalf of every single one of the hostages. However, the government’s announcement of two weeks ago has dealt a blow to the welfare, well-being, and lives of every single one of the hostages.”
Jewish orgs. say Palestinian state recognition is abandoning the hostages
In a video shared on social media, Board of Deputies CEO Michael Wegier also used his speech to call on Starmer not to “abandon the hostages,” warning that the government had “unwittingly” emboldened the organization it “rightly proscribed as terrorists.”
Jewish Leadership Council CEO Claudia Mendoza said in her speech that Starmer’s decision not only emboldened Hamas but also extremist elements within British society. She warned that they would not be satisfied with the move and would continue to demand radical anti-Israel policies.
The event podium was not without its controversies, with the crowd booing and calling for the departure of Progressive Judaism co-CEOs Rabbis Charley Baginsky and Josh Levy when they called for an end to the war and expressed support for a Palestinian state.
The response by the crowd was condemned by Jewish leadership, calling for the confrontation of challenges in a united and cross-communal way. Calling for the rabbis to leave the stage “was disrespectful and self-defeating and should have no place in our communal life,” the Board of Deputies said on Sunday.
“Those indulging in this disgraceful behavior should reflect that if we cannot even hear and speak to other Jews with respect, then they have no chance of convincing wider society.”
The Jewish Leadership Council also contended that it was the mark of a free society to reject opinions, but how those thoughts were challenged mattered.
“At times like this, it is vital that our community allows different voices to be heard. All of us are supporters of Israel, all of us wish to see the hostages return, and all want to see peace in the region. How that will be achieved is complex, and there are many different solutions,” the JLC said on X.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism took to social media during the march, warning that the situation was dire for the hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
“The war would end tomorrow if Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad would release the hostages, and if the British government is going to get involved at all, it must apply pressure to Hamas and its allies to release the hostages, not reward them by recognizing a Palestinian state,” the CAA said on X.
Mirvis noted that the protest occurred peacefully, with dignity, and within the bounds of the law, thanking officers of the Metropolitan Police for protecting them and “the streets of our capital.”
The weekend saw three days of protest, two of them held by anti-Israel organizations. The protests saw the arrest of 532 people for support of Palestine Action, a vandalism activist group that has been proscribed as a terrorist organization.