The National Jewish Assembly (NJA) strongly condemns the disruptive and aggressive protest by anti-Israel activists at Chatham House on Thursday, where British Business and Trade Minister Jonathan Reynolds was interrupted on stage during a speech. The demonstrators, calling for a total halt to arms exports to Israel, including the export of F-35 parts, are part of a wider and insidious campaign that seeks to undermine not only Israel’s security but the principles of free trade, democratic alliance, and national self-defence.
It is telling that this protest was not merely a demonstration against one weapons system or even a particular policy – it was another manifestation of the obsessive and unrelenting efforts of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement. This movement does not advocate peace or coexistence. Its goal is the economic, diplomatic, and cultural isolation of the State of Israel. And like all campaigns of delegitimisation, it begins with defence and security but ends with a call to dismantle the Jewish state itself.
“These kinds of protests are not about legitimate policy critique,” said NJA Chairman Gary Mond. “They are part of a broader and more dangerous effort to demonise the world’s only Jewish state and to target the very industries that guarantee its survival. The fact that such campaigns are tolerated in the UK, and even echoed in some political quarters, is a moral disgrace. No one serious about global security would propose severing defence cooperation with a key democratic ally facing daily threats from Iran-backed terrorists.”
Mond added, “Boycotting Israeli defence industries is not only unjust and immoral – it is strategically incoherent. These companies help protect not just Israel, but democracies across the globe. The UK benefits from joint development programmes and cutting-edge technology. What’s at stake is not simply trade – it’s the integrity of the West’s defence partnerships.”
The NJA calls on all political leaders to reject this campaign of hate, reaffirm their commitment to UK-Israel ties, and defend the values of liberty, security, and solidarity against the corrosive forces of antisemitism and extremism.
