Conservative peer Michael Gove has drawn parallels between current British foreign policy and historical instances of appeasement, warning that the United Kingdom is moving towards a dangerous societal abyss by sanctioning Israel. In an opinion piece, Gove asserted that nations where Jewish communities feel unsafe are those descending into darkness, citing historical examples such as Spain during the Inquisition, Vienna in the early 1900s, 1930s Germany, and recent Russia.
Gove's commentary, published on September 11, 2026, reflects on his own writings from 25 years prior, which discussed the threat of totalitarians opposed to Western ways of life. He specifically criticizes the welcome given by Hamas to the UK's decision, under Ed Miliband's leadership, to sanction Israel. Gove characterized Hamas as an organization that celebrated the 9/11 attacks and was responsible for the October 7, 2023, massacre of Jewish people.
The Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, is quoted by Gove as stating that the sanctions are "political flag-bearing for mendacious anti-Israel rhetoric" and will "bolster the very extremism they seek to target." Gove argued that the campaign to demonize Israel has fueled antisemitism in Britain, and that the government's distinction between settlers and other Israelis is not perceived by the world as a "careful tilting of the diplomatic scales" but rather as emboldening extremists.
Gove recalled his time in government, where he sought to prevent punitive measures against Israel, viewing the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign not as a peace movement but as a weapon against the Jewish state. He suggested that Miliband, while disavowing BDS, is implementing its desired measures.
He drew a parallel between the current pressure on Israel to surrender territory for peace and the 1938 Munich Agreement, which he argued brought neither security nor peace but "encouragement to evil." Gove contended that concessions and pressure on Israel only strengthen extremists who seek its extinction, leading to tragic consequences domestically, including increased targeting of Jewish people and communities.
The article highlighted incidents such as the Manchester synagogue attack in October 2025 and firebombed Jewish ambulances in London, suggesting these are direct results of a perceived Western retreat in the face of violence against Jews. Gove stated that while the government acknowledges this risk by enhancing security for Jewish institutions, its policy sends a signal that killing Jews leads to Western retreat.
Gove further posited that antisemitism is a symptom of a society turning inward and that it fuels extremism on both the left and right, opposing Western enlightenment values. He cited examples of anti-Israel rhetoric devolving into anti-Jewish sentiment from figures associated with the Labour party and the Green party, as well as far-right figures engaging in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
He argued that much of the opposition to Israel stems from its identity as an open, democratic, and successful society, which challenges the ideologies of various extremist groups. Gove contrasted criticism of Israel's government with the appeasement of totalitarian regimes like China, asserting that the West is signaling a willingness to appease antagonists with power while abandoning allies like Israel, which he believes makes the West a more tempting target.
Gove concluded by linking this perceived weakness to broader geopolitical trends, referencing the abandonment of Afghanistan as emboldening Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He suggested that Israel serves as a crucial bulwark and intelligence partner, and that impairing this relationship weakens Western protections. The article invoked Lenin's dictum about testing for resilience and posed an existential question about the West's capacity to resist in the face of escalating global challenges.