A significant diplomatic controversy has erupted in London following inflammatory statements made by prominent British commentator Melanie Phillips regarding the newly inaugurated Palestinian embassy. The Times columnist faced immediate condemnation after characterizing the diplomatic opening as “an important moment in the UK’s shameful connivance with the Palestinian Arabs’ final solution” in a social media post.
The phrase “final solution,” historically associated with Nazi Germany’s genocide against Jewish people during the Holocaust, triggered widespread criticism from academics and advocacy groups. Scottish historian William Dalrymple responded directly to Phillips, describing her anti-Palestinian rhetoric as “growing increasingly unhinged” and accusing her of “pure projection.”
Chris Doyle, director of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding (CAABU), denounced what he termed the “racism of denying a people’s very existence, their national rights and of apologising for a state that is perpetrating a genocide right now.”
The diplomatic mission’s establishment follows Britain’s formal recognition of Palestinian statehood in September, with Palestinian Ambassador Husam Zomlot hailing the embassy as “proof that our identity cannot be denied.” Zomlot characterized the development as representing “a change of direction” that recognizes Palestinian “inalienable right to sovereign statehood.”
Phillips’ controversial remarks represent a continuation of her established pattern of rhetoric regarding Palestinian identity. During an October speech in New York, she asserted that “there is no such thing as Palestine” and claimed “the Jews are the only people who have any entitlement to any of this land.” Her comments also included criticism of Christianity, which she described as “a Jewish sect that got slightly out of hand.”
This incident marks another chapter in Phillips’ history of provocative statements, including her 2019 article claiming that allegations of Islamophobia were inherently antisemitic—a position that drew criticism from the Board of Deputies of British Jews.