UK proposes ministerial summit of seven nations to tackle rising antisemitic violence

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced an offer to host a ministerial summit for the seven-nation J7 coalition, aiming to harmonise measures against antisemitic hatred and violence. The invitation was made during a London session with leaders from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Argentina and Australia, following a J7 report that identified last year as the deadliest for Jews outside Israel since 1994.

Incidents cited included the Bondi terror attack and a synagogue shooting in Manchester. Australian delegates Daniel Aghion and Peter Wertheim expressed support for the summit and urged their government to endorse the plan. The gathering also drew criticism of the UK’s recent stance on Palestinian statehood and sanctions on Israeli settlements, with figures such as Sir Ephraim Mirvis and Ellie Chowns warning that such policies might exacerbate antisemitism. Miliband reaffirmed his backing of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism while condemning attempts to link criticism of Israel with hatred of Jews.