Former Mossad chief warns Britain unsafe for Jews, faults UK stance on Israel

Cohen said Israeli intelligence had helped disrupt terrorist activity in Britain during his tenure and recalled a former MI5 director praising those efforts.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen accused Britain of failing to give Israel sufficient support in its war against Hamas and Islamic Jihad and warned that growing hostility toward Jews has made parts of the country unsafe.

Speaking Friday on a Times of London podcast, Cohen, who led the Mossad from 2016 to 2021, argued that Britain should recognize Israel’s past contribution to protecting British citizens from terrorism.

Cohen said Israeli intelligence had helped disrupt terrorist activity in Britain during his tenure and recalled a former MI5 director praising those efforts.

“I quote your former director of MI5 who said, ‘Yossi, you deserve the Oscar for what you did here. You have disrupted a huge quantity of terror activity inside the UK. Thank you very much for doing it,’” Cohen said.

He argued that Britain should show similar support for Israel as it fights terrorist organizations responsible for starting the Gaza war.

“Criticism is OK, but opposing what we’re doing is not OK. The State of Israel never initiated this war in Gaza. The terrorists did, Hamas and Islamic Jihad did,” Cohen said.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has apologized for his party’s response to Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, saying it had fallen short. Burnham, who is considering sanctions against Israel, has also accused the Israeli government of making a two-state solution impossible and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be held accountable.

Cohen criticized the political rhetoric surrounding Israel and said it had implications for British Jews.

“The UK government should understand that we read what they do. And you do have a huge local problem in the UK today. It is not safe to walk on London streets or in Manchester if you’re Jewish,” he said.

Cohen also addressed accusations concerning Israel’s conduct in Gaza, noting that the British government itself had stopped short of accusing Israel of genocide.

He said British lawyers acknowledged in 2025 that they had found no evidence that Israel deliberately targeted civilians. Cohen argued that the evidence instead showed Israel had taken extensive precautions to protect civilians.

“We saved many, many lives on British soil,” Cohen said, arguing that Britain should now be “super supportive of the State of Israel.”