London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Sep 12, 2026

Israeli ambassador protest: LSE investigating threats against Tzipi Hotovely

Israeli ambassador protest: LSE investigating threats against Tzipi Hotovely

The London School of Economics (LSE) is investigating whether students threatened the Israeli ambassador, who was speaking at the university.

Tzipi Hotovely was invited to speak at an event on the future of the Middle East hosted by the student debating society on Tuesday.

Footage on social media shows protesters shouting and rushing up to Ms Hotovely as she left the university.

Ms Hotovely said she had an "excellent evening" and "will not be intimidated".

Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was "disgusted" by the treatment of Ms Hotovely and added that the police have her full support in investigating the "appalling" incident.

The Met Police confirmed officers attended the protest but no arrests were made.

Tzipi Hotovely was appointed as Israeli Ambassador to the UK by former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu


The ambassador spoke at an event hosted by the university's student debating society as part of a series of talks entitled "A New Era in the Middle East".

The event took place on the 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht, where paramilitary forces killed more than 90 Jews in Nazi Germany.

Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, had been due to attend a follow-up event on 11 November, but has now pulled out.

'Completely unacceptable'


Ms Hotovely's speech lasted approximately 90 minutes, and "attracted some protest outside" according to the LSE.

She then took questions before "leaving on schedule".

An LSE spokesman said: "Free speech and freedom of expression underpins everything we do at LSE.

"Intimidation or threats of violence are completely unacceptable.

"We are aware of some threats of violence made on social media around this event. Any LSE students identified as being involved in making such threats will face disciplinary action."


Several government ministers have criticised the protest, including Foreign Secretary Liz Truss who called the treatment of the Israeli ambassador "unacceptable".

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi described the footage as "deeply disturbing".

Mr Zahawi said he has "invited Jewish students from LSE to a meeting to hear directly from them and offer any support that I can".

Following the event, Ms Hotovely said: "I'm thankful for all the support I have received from the British government, many friends and partners.

"I had an excellent event at LSE and I will not be intimidated. I will continue to share the Israeli story and hold open dialogue with all parts of British society."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese Crypto Entrepreneur Leon Li Identified as Seller of £190 Million London Mansion
Trades Union Congress Proposes Social Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Surcharge
British Chambers of Commerce Calls for State Pension Triple Lock to Be Scrapped
Anthropic Says Claude Helped Disrupt Biological Weapons and Cyber Espionage Threats
UK Imposes Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements and West Bank Violence
UK Reimposes Sectoral Sanctions on Iran’s Aviation, Shipping and Energy Networks
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as AI and Programming Services Lift Activity
UK House of Commons Rejects Assisted Dying Bill by 286 Votes to 270
UK Reviews Nationwide Emergency Alert Tests After Systems Meet Reliability Targets
UK Seeks Faster Rail Links Across Northern Industrial Corridors
British Business Bank Allocates £150 Million for High-Growth Companies in Northern England
BBC Warns Staff Strikes Are Possible Amid Pay Dispute and £500 Million Savings Drive
UK Backs Short Extension of UN Sudan Sanctions Regime
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Defends Early Prison Release Reforms and Growth Strategy
Reform UK Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Effort to Circumvent Foreign Donation Rules
UK Analysts Warn Tax Rises or Spending Cuts May Be Needed to Preserve Fiscal Headroom
Jaguar Land Rover Plans Up to 4,000 Job Cuts in £1.7 Billion Cost-Saving Drive
UK Chancellor Warns of Difficult October Budget as Borrowing Costs Rise
UK Declares Israeli Occupation of West Bank Unlawful and Expands Sanctions
UK House of Commons Rejects Assisted Dying Bill for England and Wales
English Councils to Gain Power to Introduce Tourist Taxes by 2028
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Shadow Cabinet
Firefighters Make Progress Containing Major Wildfires in South Wales
John Lewis Partnership Reports £124 Million Loss
Study Says UK AI Data Centres Will Create Only a Quarter of Forecast Jobs
UK Government Considers Higher Industrial Water Prices Amid Supply Pressures
Andy Burnham Holds First Call With Donald Trump as UK Prime Minister
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record as Heatwaves Drive Hospital Admissions
Home Secretary Orders Police Crackdown on Far-Right Anti-Migrant Vigilantes
UK Supreme Court Rules Northern Ireland Religious Education Curriculum Breaches Human Rights Standards
Markets Price in Four Bank of England Rate Rises by Next Summer
House of Commons Prepares Free Vote on Assisted Dying Bill
UK Government Bans Trade With Israeli Settlements in Occupied Territories
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Artificial Intelligence Investment Supports Expansion
Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Keir Starmer Resigns
John Lewis Partnership Loss Widens to £124 Million
UK Government to Put White Working-Class Social Mobility at Centre of Equality Policy
McLaren Plans £450 Million Technology Investment Creating 1,000 UK Jobs
UK Chancellor Faces Calls for Wealth Taxes and Public Ownership in Autumn Budget
English Mayors to Gain Powers to Impose Uncapped Overnight Tourist Taxes
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Government Against Bank Windfall Taxes
UK Air Traffic Control Outage Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
UK Imposes Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
UK Borrowing Costs Surge as Middle East Tensions Push Long-Term Gilt Yields to Highest Since 1998
Buckingham Palace Says Prince Harry and Meghan Will Not Resume Official Royal Duties
UK Treasury Faces Calls to Scrap £100,000 Childcare Support Threshold
Trades Union Congress Urges Labour Government to Rewrite Migration Policy
Riot Police Deployed After Anti-Migrant Protests Turn Violent in Portsmouth
UK Considers Replacing Some Disability Cash Payments With Direct Services
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Chancellor Against Higher Banking Taxes
×