Far-right activist Tommy Robinson tours Israel, draws ridicule with bizarre claims

British far-right activist Tommy Robinson has drawn backlash and ridicule over a series of bizarre claims and interviews during his tour of Israel and occupied Jerusalem.

The leader of the English Defence League visited Israel on 15 October following an invitation from the minister of diaspora affairs, Amichai Chikli.

According to various reports, he addressed crowds in Tel Aviv, praised Israel for its offensive on Gaza, and even made several anti-Arab and anti-Muslim remarks.

He has reaffirmed his support for Israel and dismissed reports of a genocide in Gaza throughout his trip.

One of the more bizarre comments he has made was at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - considered by Christians to be one of the holiest sites in Jerusalem and the spot where Jesus was crucified and buried.

In a post on X, Robinson wrote: "It was amazing feeling to go on a Christian pilgrimage in Jerusalem. This would be impossible if Israel fell to a Caliphate," suggesting that Muslims may take over the religious site and would not preserve it for Christian worshippers.

In response, many activists, journalists and social media users hit back at his claims.

"The Church you visited, Tommy? Its keys are held by two Muslim families, the Nuseibehs and Joudehs, guardians since Saladin’s time in 1187. Muslims protected Christianity’s holiest site for 900 years. Your ignorance, however, remains impressively unprotected," one journalist wrote.

Another wrote: "This arrangement was made by Saladin in the 12th century and symbolizes Muslim-Christian coexistence".

Others criticised his tour of Israel and claims about Christians in Palestine, stating that he is ignoring the plight of Gaza’s Christians who have faced fierce bombardment for over two years.

"The idiot also totally ignores that the Christian communities and churches in Gaza, some of the oldest churches in existence have all been destroyed. Not by Muslims, but by his fascist Zionist friends," one person commented.

In a video posted by Robinson at the church, he urges Christians from around the world to visit the church, stating: "You probably wouldn’t be able to visit this if this wasn’t under the control of the state of Israel".

"We probably wouldn’t have freedom of religion for Christians if it was in the hands of a Caliphate or Jihadists or Palestine or the Palestinian Authority or Hamas or any of those things," he continued.

The remarks drew widespread criticism for pushing preconceived notions about Islam and Palestinians, as well as spreading false information.

Earlier on in his trip, he referred to the occupied West Bank as "Judea and Samaria", invoking the biblical names for the Palestinian territory used by the Israeli government that are not internationally recognised. 

He pushed further derogatory tropes, stating that Israel was a “beacon of democracy surrounded by totalitarian, sharia-driven hellholes".

According to Israeli media, in the days leading up to his Tel Aviv appearance, Robinson toured the Gaza border with Chikli, visited a West Bank settlement, and met with a local far-right campaigner in a south Tel Aviv neighbourhood. 

His visit comes amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, following an over two-year war on the enclave which has killed over 67,000 Palestinians. Despite the truce, Israel has killed 97 Palestinians.