LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM | The British government has rejected an accusation of “Jew hate” from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee after Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused Israel of blocking medicines from entering Gaza and called for more decisive British action.
The unusually sharp diplomatic exchange began after Miliband posted a video Friday describing accounts he said he had heard from people with experience on the ground in Gaza.
Miliband said the situation described to him was “horrific” and referred to accounts of medicines being blocked and children dying while waiting for medical treatment.
He said the British government needed to act more decisively.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry strongly disputed Miliband’s characterization, saying there were no restrictions on medicines entering Gaza and accusing the foreign secretary of relying on “stories” rather than facts.
Huckabee then escalated the criticism.
“The Brits have lost it,” Huckabee wrote on X. “The Jew hate of their government knows no boundaries and knows no facts.”
The allegation was directed at the British government rather than Miliband personally. Miliband is Jewish and comes from a family of Jewish refugees who fled persecution in Europe.
Downing Street rejected Huckabee’s characterization.
The British government pointed to hundreds of millions of pounds in planned spending over the next three years to protect Jewish communities and address threats including antisemitic extremism, hostile-state activity and antisemitism in education.
No court, government agency or other competent authority has made a finding that the British government is antisemitic. Huckabee’s characterization represents an allegation by a senior American diplomat amid a widening political dispute over British policy toward Israel.
Israel Rejects Miliband’s Gaza Claims
At the centre of the confrontation are competing claims about medical supplies and access to treatment in Gaza.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Miliband’s description was inaccurate.
“If the Foreign Secretary were interested in facts rather than stories, he would know that there are no restrictions whatsoever on the entry of medicines into the Gaza Strip, and that no medicines are being blocked,” the ministry said.
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, approximately 22,500 tons of medical supplies have entered Gaza since the ceasefire began in October 2025.
The ministry also said Gaza residents continue to leave the territory for medical treatment, including approximately 200 people during the previous two weeks.
It noted that Britain participates in the International Gaza Support Center, the U.S.-led coordination mechanism in Kiryat Gat that facilitates humanitarian assistance.
The Israeli government therefore argued that British officials should have direct knowledge of the mechanisms governing medical assistance entering Gaza.
Miliband’s remarks, however, reflected accounts he said were provided by people familiar with conditions inside the territory.
The dispute over those accounts remains separate from Huckabee’s broader allegation that British government policy reflects “Jew hate.”
Downing Street Points To Antisemitism Measures
The British government rejected that characterization and pointed to its domestic efforts to protect Jewish communities.
Downing Street cited substantial planned government spending over three years for Jewish community security and measures addressing antisemitism, extremist threats, hostile-state activity and antisemitism in educational institutions.
Britain has faced serious concerns about antisemitism since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.
British Jewish organizations have repeatedly raised concerns about threats, harassment, extremist rhetoric and the security of Jewish institutions.
Those domestic concerns have also become intertwined with an increasingly contentious debate over the British government’s relationship with Israel.
The existence of antisemitism in Britain, however, does not by itself establish that criticism of Israeli government policy is antisemitic.
Under the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism, criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country is not considered antisemitic. The definition also identifies circumstances in which rhetoric concerning Israel can cross into antisemitism, including denying Jewish self-determination, applying certain double standards or using classic antisemitic imagery and allegations.
The United Kingdom adopted the IHRA Working Definition in 2016.
Relations With Israel Have Deteriorated
The Huckabee dispute comes as relations between Britain and Israel have become increasingly strained.
Miliband, who became foreign secretary in July, has called for a “comprehensive reset” of British policy toward Israel.
His government has also been considering measures targeting Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, including possible restrictions involving goods originating in those communities.
Miliband has been particularly critical of Israeli construction plans in the E1 area near Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim, saying further development threatens prospects for a future Palestinian state.
Israel has strongly objected to the British position.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has warned that Israel could respond if Britain proceeds with additional measures targeting Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.
Israel has also reportedly considered action involving British representatives participating in the Gaza coordination centre.
The dispute therefore extends well beyond the immediate disagreement about medical supplies.
Huckabee Has Also Criticized Israelis
Huckabee has been one of the most outspoken defenders of Israel within the Trump administration and has long rejected international efforts to delegitimize Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
His criticism of Britain came the same weekend, however, that he publicly condemned violence by extremist Israelis against Palestinians.
During a visit to Turmus Ayya, Huckabee met residents, including relatives of American citizens affected by violence, and described some attacks by Israeli extremists as criminal and terrorist acts.
His comments demonstrated that his accusation against Britain was not part of an across-the-board defence of every Israeli action.
The latest confrontation instead reflects an increasingly serious dispute over where legitimate criticism of Israel ends and hostility toward the Jewish state or Jews begins.
For the moment, Huckabee’s “Jew hate” characterization remains a disputed diplomatic allegation rather than a substantiated finding of antisemitism.
What is clear is that the language being used between officials in Washington, London and Jerusalem has become markedly sharper as Britain considers a more confrontational policy toward Israel.
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