Overview

• Israel’s diaspora minister Amichai Chikli invited the English Defence League co-founder to visit in mid-October, praising him as a British patriot and ally against Islamist extremism.
• The invitation followed a vehicle-and-knife attack outside Manchester’s Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation on Yom Kippur that left two people dead and the suspect shot by armed police.
• The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council condemned the move, calling Robinson a thug who represents the worst of Britain and arguing his presence harms community cohesion.
• Baroness Sayeeda Warsi accused Israel of sowing division in the UK and described the invitation as irresponsible and dangerous.
• Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana publicly welcomed the visit, while other Israeli officials used the episode to criticise the UK government’s response to antisemitism, and Robinson outlined plans to visit Jerusalem, the West Bank, Yad Vashem and the Knesset with a stated hope to enter Gaza.