Story so far.

Petition Statement.

Israel has announced an end to the ceasefire agreed between it and Hamas in January 2025, resuming its genocidal violence in the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 61,000 Palestinians since October 2023 – with the real number likely to be several times higher as Israel’s relentless targeting of civilian infrastructure makes it difficult to properly record deaths.

The genocidal intent of the Israeli government, military and society have been well-documented and the country is now on trial for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and its leaders wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Despite this, successive UK governments have continued to support Israel, offering it diplomatic and military assistance, and resisted calls by the public to put pressure on it at a time when it has become increasingly isolated on the international stage. The Israeli Ambassador to the UK plays a vital role in maintaining these relations.

The incumbent ambassador, Tzipi Hotovely, has unapologetically espoused fascistic and genocidal views, many of which contradict the UK’s own stated position on Israel-Palestine.

Hotovely, who was a Likud Member of the Knesset before becoming ambassador to the UK, has been a vocal advocate for a Greater Israel and denied any possibility for a Palestinian state alongside Israel. She was previously the Minister of Settlement Affairs, in charge of administering illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, and stated in 2015, “This land is ours, all of it is ours. We did not come here to apologise for that.” When asked by Sky News in December 2023 about a Palestinian state, she reiterated this position, which contradicts both international law and the UK’s own stated position in favour of a two-state solution.

During the current genocide, she has unashamedly denied any Israeli wrongdoing and repeatedly promoted debunked and unsubstantiated state propaganda. After Israel openly chose to cut off humanitarian aid, water and electricity supplies to Gaza, she claimed, in October 2023, that “there is no humanitarian crisis” – something widely denied by the UN and most major NGOs.

She has also repeated Israel’s lies about human shields to deny any responsibility for the systematic targeting of every aspect of civilian life. In November 2023, she echoed the Israeli military’s claims that Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest, was being used as Hamas’ headquarters – a claim that Israel has failed to provide any evidence for, was used to justify the complete destruction of the hospital and has been denied by the World Health Organisation, international aid agencies and NGOs. In January 2024, she once again sought to justify the targeting of civilian infrastructure in an interview with Sky News saying: “Every school, every mosque, every second house has access to a tunnel and, of course, munitions.”

The State of Israel has exposed its genocidal essence to the world since October 2023 and no longer looks to hide its intention to ethnically cleanse the entirety of Palestine and expansionist ambitions to create a “Greater Israel”. Hotovely is the leading voice for this position in the UK and acts as an apologist for Israel’s policies in the British media.

The UK government has a legal and moral obligation to oppose Israel’s genocide and to support the self-determination of the Palestinian people. This is simply incompatible with hosting Hotovely as Israel’s ambassador to the country.

The UK government must take immediate action and expel Hotovely for her genocide apologia and racist and fascist views, which contradict the liberal and democratic principles that this country claims to uphold.

In doing so, the UK government can put meaningful pressure on Israel and send a clear message that they stand opposed to its genocide in Gaza and occupation of Palestine.