Israeli President Isaac Herzog says he argued with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a “tough” meeting at 10 Downing Street in London Wednesday. Speaking at the Chatham House think tank after the talks, Herzog said Israel’s war in Gaza is aimed at “defending Western values.”

President Isaac Herzog: “We are defending Europe. We are defending Western values and the free world with the blood and the tears of our sons and daughters and families. That’s what we’re doing.”

As Herzog spoke, protesters gathered outside Chatham House holding signs reading “Stop the Slaughter” and “Don’t Listen to War Criminals.” Meanwhile, the front-page headline of the Scottish newspaper The National read “Starmer rolls out red carpet for genocide.” According to Middle East Eye, the Crown Prosecution Service’s counterterrorism division appointed a prosecutor to “urgently” review an application for an arrest warrant for President Herzog. Palestinian rights groups cited Herzog’s remarks in October 2023 stating all Palestinians in Gaza were “unequivocally” responsible for the October 7 Hamas attacks. Despite the investigation, U.K. authorities made no attempt to arrest Herzog.