Chikli invites Tommy Robinson to Israel, sparking UK Jewish outrage

 

Chikli invites Tommy Robinson to Israel, sparking UK Jewish outrage

 

UK Jewish leaders slammed Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli for inviting far-right activist Tommy Robinson to Israel following an antisemitic attack in Manchester.

 

ByMATHILDA HELLER

OCTOBER 5, 2025 11:22

Updated: OCTOBER 5, 2025 11:46

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-869451

 

Heated debate has erupted within Jewish and Israeli circles after Tommy Robinson - the controversial British patriot and activist - revealed that he is set to visit Israel on the invitation of Israel's Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli.

 

Chikli announced that he had invited Robinson on October 3, in the wake of the antisemitic terrorist attack outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur. He referred to Robinson as "a courageous leader on the front line against radical Islam" and stressed the importance of strengthening bonds with Israel's allies.

 

Later in the day, Robinson confirmed that he will travel to Israel after his harassment trial on October 13 and plans to visit Judea and Samaria, Jerusalem, the Nova Festival site, and the South, as well as the Jabotinsky Institute and Yad Vashem. Robinson is pleading not guilty to two counts of harassment causing fear of violence against two journalists in August 2024.

 

'Their fight is our fight'

"The horrific Manchester attack has strengthened my conviction that the United Kingdom and Israel are fighting the same battle—against the scourge of Islamic jihad. Their fight is our fight," he wrote on X. "I come as a friend, as an ally, and as someone who believes that the strength of Israel is the strength of the West."

However, not everyone was so thrilled. In a joint statement on Saturday, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council jointly stated that Robinson is a "thug" who "represents the very worst of Britain."

 

The statement also criticized Chikli, whom it called "Diaspora Minister in name only," who has "ignored the views of the vast majority of British Jews."