The government is poised to announce West Bank sanctions next week, the JC understands.
The Chief Rabbi and other communal leaders have expressed concern that such measures could lead to a “de facto boycott of all of Israel” and a backdoor BDS policy. The government is expected to reject that assessment when it sets out its measures.
Per the statement, the leaders also “pressed the prime minister to avoid steps that may cause harm to the Jewish community, including measures that would place a profound strain on the Jewish people’s deep connection to places of great religious and cultural significance, including the Western Wall”.
The point was also made about Israel being singled out for criticism more than other nations, it added.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner meet Jewish community leaders inside 10 Downing Street on September 3, 2026 (Getty Images)POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Likewise, they asked whether Burnham had considered the “potentially perverse consequences” of announcing sanctions during a “heated Israeli election" and stressed the need for the UK and Israeli governments to “ensure that domestic political considerations do not stand in the way of the positive policy outcomes that the Middle East so desperately needs”.
The prime minister is understood to have rejected the notion that West Bank sanctions were being pursued because of internal Labour Party pressure.
He also suggested that government action against the West Bank could help lower the intensity of pro-Palestine protest.
The meeting was described by those who attended as “constructive and focussed”.
One communal leader described the session as “friendly and listening”, while others used the word “robust”.
The leaders “stressed the importance of maintaining a clear line against all expressions of antisemitism wherever it arises, including continuing the important work of tackling this hatred within Labour and other political parties”.
They “conveyed the depth of feeling across the community regarding the welfare and security of Israel, and called on the government to reaffirm its rejection of anyone inciting hatred or calling for Israel's elimination”.
And they also “underlined the importance of promoting social cohesion, calling for the government’s support and pledging the Jewish community's commitment to building an inclusive and respectful society for all.”
In addition, they pressed the prime minister “to prioritise tackling extremism in Britain,” both on the far right and the far left, as well as from Islamist sources.
Ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the leaders spoke about measures needed to address “the community’s heightened fears heading into the Jewish holiday period, which marks a year on from the deadly Heaton Park attack, and comes just a few months after violent attacks including arson and stabbings in Golders Green”.
They urged Burnham to “promote a positive engagement with the Jewish community," including on campus, at welfare organisations, and cultural institutions and “expressed wishes for a year of peace, prosperity and security in the UK and around the world,” giving the prime minister an apple-and-honey treat for Rosh Hashanah, as well as a siddur.
During the meeting, both Burnham and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner spoke of the impact of the Heaton Park terrorist attack.
They announced that the government would have a Cabinet committee meeting on antisemitism and committed to twice-yearly roundtables with the community.
Those attending were Phil Rosenberg, President of the Board of Deputies; Dr Dave Rich MBE, Director of Policy for the Community Security Trust; Louise Jacobs, Vice Chair of the Jewish Leadership Council; Debbie Fox, Interim CEO of the Jewish Leadership Council; Dame Louise Ellman, Independent Plenary Chair of the Board of Deputies; Raphi Bloom, Management Board Member of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region and Trustee of the JLC; Marc Levy, Chief Executive of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region; Danny Stone MBE, Chief Executive of the Antisemitism Policy Trust; Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust; Ruben Persey, Vice President of the Union of Jewish Students; Mervyn Kaye, Chief Executive of the Union of Jewish Students; Carolyn Bogush, Chair of the Union of Jewish Students; Dovid Lichtig, CEO of the Interlink Foundation; Sam Clifford, Chief Executive of Jewish Women’s Aid; John, Lord Mann, HM Government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism; and Dr Toby Greene, Director of Public Affairs at the Board of Deputies.
