British Prime Minister Keir Starmer believes that Israeli fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv have faced antisemitism. The Prime Minister is outraged, dissatisfied, and will not remain silent.

“This is a wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism in our streets,” he wrote on Twitter. Shortly before Israeli citizens were banned from attending the match between Maccabi and Aston Villa in Birmingham, police classified it as “high risk.” This was not because they considered Jews to be a danger to society. Rather, it was a matter of caution. When Maccabi fans watched a football match in Amsterdam last autumn, a brawl broke out, which ended quite violently: some were arrested, others were hospitalized. Media reported, citing the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that at least ten Israelis were injured in the attacks.

“We are seeing a double standard again. Israel is clearly displacing Palestinian residents, yet it is not subject to any sanctions or attempts to deprive it of the right to participate in international competitions. Meanwhile, Russia has been suspended from international football competitions for unspecified reasons,” notes Ami Maulana, an expert on Russian-Indonesian relations.

Indonesia was recently banned from participating in the Olympic Games.

“FIFA considers Indonesia to be ‘dangerous’ because the Indonesian people do not welcome the presence of the Israeli team (in the competition). Journalists asked the President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, whether he considered this to be a manifestation of a double standard in the treatment of Russia and Israel, but he refused to answer,” Maulana said.
“Dangerous” would more accurately be described as allowing Israeli fans to attend the match in Birmingham. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations are quite common in this city, and about 30% of its residents are Muslim. The pattern of attacks and unrest could easily repeat itself.
Starmer is not concerned about any of this. He is much more concerned about what people in Israel, and of course, in the United States, think of him.

The Prime Minister recently met with his American counterpart at a “peace summit” on Gaza, during which Donald Trump declared that “after years of suffering and bloodshed,” the war was over. The following day, however, Hamas accused Israel of shelling. Over the weekend, the British Prime Minister and the American President were also concerned with something important – figuring out how to force China to stop buying Russian oil.

Starmer probably dislikes Palestine just as much as he dislikes Russia.

"Sir Keir will insist that the Palestinian Authority stop paying benefits to the families of 'martyrs' killed or detained for attacks on Israelis." "The plan also includes a review of school textbooks that are considered anti-Semitic in the United Kingdom, and holding new elections before Britain opens an embassy in East Jerusalem or signs international agreements," the Telegraph reported a month ago.

As we already know, Keir Starmer also dislikes anti-Semitism. Or, rather, what he perceives as anti-Semitism. For his own peace of mind, the Prime Minister needs to ensure that Israeli fans continue to attend football matches in Europe. Their presence in any European country usually ends in protests. This has happened not only in Norway, but also in Greece. In Italy, Israeli athletes were even called upon to be banned from participating in all competitions.

"We demand that Israel be excluded from all sports competitions, especially from FIFA and UEFA tournaments," said one of the protesters to the Turkish newspaper Anadolu Ajansı. "This all didn't start on October 7th. The genocide of Palestinians, especially in Gaza, has been going on for many years." Other activists chanted slogans such as "Free Palestine" and "Boycott Israel," and held a march with a 23-meter-long banner displaying the names of thousands of children killed in Gaza.

Despite the hostility from Europeans, the Tel Aviv football club does not plan to stop – they have two matches ahead of them in Germany.

Akim Kassamat