Britain’s prestigious Royal Defence College bans Israelis

The government has banned Israelis from enrolling in the Royal College of Defence Studies, one of Britain's most prestigious defence schools, from next year. The decision was taken in the wake of the Gaza war.

Amir Baram, the director general of the Israeli Defence Ministry, who previously studied at the college, called the move "a disgraceful and unfriendly move".

He said it was a "discriminatory decision that runs counter to Britain's tradition of tolerance and fairness."

The Royal College said its international strategic education course provides in-depth analysis of political, diplomatic, security, social and economic issues. However, the core course is "practical". About 110 students from the UK and other countries enroll in the program each year. Notable alumni include Field Marshal Alan Francis Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff during World War II, and former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

According to Baram, the decision comes at a time when Israel is defending international waterways against Houthi threats, preventing nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of Islamist groups, and fighting to free 48 Hamas prisoners. “The expulsion of the Israelis is tantamount to the self-destruction of British security,” he said.

The British Ministry of Defence said it had long been training military officers from various countries and that all courses complied with international humanitarian law.

However, the ministry noted that “the Israeli government’s decision to escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong.”

It called for an immediate ceasefire and an immediate resolution to the crisis.

In addition, the British government recently banned Israeli officials from attending the country’s largest arms exhibition and suspended 30 of the 350 arms export licenses it had issued in the past year.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has warned that Britain will recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations if Israel does not end its war in Gaza and its occupation of the West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the move, saying it was tantamount to rewarding Hamas and that the "wrong decision" would only embolden Hamas.

Meanwhile, the main Israeli organisation working for the release of civilians held in Gaza said that Prime Minister Netanyahu was the main obstacle to the release of the prisoners. The organisation said that "every possible agreement (with Hamas) has been thwarted by Netanyahu."