A diplomatic visit by Liberal Democrat officials to Israel in February has ignited significant controversy within the party, following revelations that Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Calum Miller met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. This engagement occurred despite a United Nations Commission of Inquiry previously finding Herzog had committed incitement to genocide through his public statements regarding the October 2023 Hamas attacks.
The delegation, organized by the Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel (LDFI) and previously unreported in British media, included prominent figures such as former party leader Tim Farron, LDFI Honorary President Lord Monroe Palmer, and several other senior members. The group visited sites attacked by Hamas on October 7, 2023, including Kibbutz Kfar Aza and the Nova Festival site, where they were photographed with Israeli military personnel.
Miller defended the diplomatic mission, stating: “My role as foreign affairs spokesperson is to engage with representatives of other countries, to listen, to challenge and to engage. There will be no just peace if there is no dialogue.” A party spokesperson emphasized that the delegation also met with Palestinian officials, including Ramallah Mayor Issa Kassis, and raised concerns about humanitarian aid to Gaza, illegal settlements, and the two-state solution.
However, the meeting drew sharp criticism from both internal and external groups. The Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine expressed dismay that party representatives would meet with the president of a country they recognize as having committed genocide. The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians called the engagement “entirely inappropriate” and suggested it undermined the party’s official position.
The controversy highlights the ongoing tension within the Liberal Democrats regarding Israel-Palestine relations. In September 2024, the party became the largest British political party to call for a full arms embargo on Israel, and leader Ed Davey has previously accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, describing a “famine unfolding before our eyes.”