Does Rishi Sunak Support Israel?

David Svetsky Feb 20, 2025 Updated Jul 27, 2026 3 min read

Short answer: As of July 2026, yes. Rishi Sunak has a consistent, well-documented pro-Israel record. As UK Prime Minister (October 2022 to July 2024) he called Israel a "shining beacon of hope," visited Israel during the Israel-Hamas war and told Benjamin Netanyahu that Britain stood "unequivocally" with Israel, backed Israel's right to self-defense "in line with international law," pledged to fight the BDS movement, and boosted UK funding for British Jewish community security to over £70 million. He is not Jewish (he is a practicing Hindu), so there is no personal Jewish-identity connection, but his record of statements, visits, and policy is squarely pro-Israel. He left office in July 2024, and as of 2026 he sits as a backbench Conservative MP with no comparable Israel-related statements or actions reported since leaving the premiership.

What Rishi Sunak has actually said and done

August 2022: During his Conservative leadership campaign, before becoming PM, Sunak said he recognized Jerusalem as Israel's "historic capital," backed moving the British embassy there, and pledged to prioritize legislative restrictions on the BDS movement, according to The Jewish Chronicle and confirmed by JTA.
March 24, 2023: As Prime Minister, Sunak hosted Netanyahu at Downing Street, where the two signed the UK-Israel 2030 Roadmap, committing £20 million to joint science and technology projects, per an official readout on gov.uk.
October 7, 2023: Immediately after the Hamas attack, Sunak posted that Britain "stand[s] unequivocally with Israel" and offered Netanyahu "full solidarity," as compiled in a sourced Wikipedia timeline and corroborated by a GlobalSecurity.org report.
October 9, 2023: Sunak visited a Jewish school in north London to show solidarity with Britain's Jewish community amid a surge in antisemitic incidents, writing "My heart aches for the people of Israel" in a condolence book and later saying, "We stand with Israel, not just today, not just tomorrow, but always... Am Yisrael Chai," according to the Times of Israel.
October 16, 2023: In a House of Commons statement, Sunak told Parliament, "We stand with you. We stand with Israel," and affirmed Israel's right to defend itself in line with international law, per the official transcript on gov.uk.
October 19, 2023: Sunak traveled to Israel and met Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog, publicly backing Israel's right to "go after Hamas, take back hostages, deter further incursions and strengthen security," according to two separate gov.uk statements from the visit.
February 1, 2024: Sunak's government announced roughly £54 to £72 million in new funding (reports vary on the multi-year total) for security at British Jewish community sites, the largest such commitment on record, following a spike in antisemitism after October 7, as reported by the Times of Israel and Jewish News.
July 2024: Sunak lost the UK general election to Labour's Keir Starmer and left the premiership. As of 2026 he remains a backbench Conservative MP for Richmond and Northallerton, with no comparable Israel-related statements reported since leaving office, per a wire report carried by Inkl.

Faith, identity, and why this record stands on its own

Rishi Sunak is not Jewish. He is Britain's first Hindu prime minister, and his own faith identity is separate from his outreach to British Jews. That distinction matters here: unlike public figures whose support for Israel is sometimes read through a personal or ancestral lens, Sunak's record rests entirely on policy choices and public statements made while in office. Those choices were substantial: a formal state visit during wartime, a Commons floor statement invoking "Am Yisrael Chai," a bilateral roadmap signed with Netanyahu, and a record UK funding commitment to protect Jewish community sites after antisemitic incidents spiked. Since losing the premiership in July 2024, Sunak has not made comparable public statements on Israel as a backbench MP, so his most substantive record on the issue remains from his time in Downing Street between 2022 and 2024.

The bottom line

Rishi Sunak has a strong, consistent, and well-documented pro-Israel record built through repeated statements, an in-person wartime visit, financial support for British Jewish community security, and campaign pledges on Jerusalem and BDS. He has no Jewish heritage himself (he is a practicing Hindu) and has been out of office since July 2024, with no notable new Israel-related activity reported since.

Wear your own answer

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Last updated July 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.