Former Mossad chief says UK not safe for Jews, reveals Mossad saved many British lives

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen warned that Jews are no longer safe in Britain, while revealing that Israel's intelligence agency has helped prevent numerous terror attacks and save many lives on British soil.

"We saved many, many lives on British soil," Cohen said in an interview Friday with “The General and the Journalist” podcast, produced by the British news outlet The Times.

Cohen did not elaborate on the specific operations, but said a former unnamed head of Britain's MI5 personally thanked him for helping the UK prevent what he described as “a huge quantity of terror.”

"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’. I think that the UK government should do exactly the same," Cohen said. He served as Mossad chief from 2016 to 2021.

Cohen's comments come amid growing tensions between Britain and Israel over the Gaza war and British policies toward the Jewish state.

The UK expressed support for Israel following the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of 251 people. However, like other Western governments, London soon became increasingly critical of Israel's military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

Cohen urged the British government to take a more supportive approach toward Israel and to better understand the challenges facing the Jewish state as it defends itself against terrorism.

"I think that the UK has to be super supportive of the State of Israel, as we had been to you when you had suffered terrorism on your lands," the former Mossad chief argued.

In 2025, the British government unilaterally recognized a Palestinian state despite objections from Jerusalem and Washington, which argued that such a move constituted a de facto reward for the Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians.

Cohen also criticized British Prime Minister Andy Burnham over his criticism of Israel's military operations in Gaza. Burnham has argued that his party should have taken a more critical position toward Israel earlier in the war.

"I know many people feel that at the start of Israel’s military action in Gaza my party didn’t get it right and I am sorry about that. The response has too often been insufficient. We need to do better," Burnham argued last month.

Cohen rejected the idea that Israel was responsible for initiating the war, while acknowledging that criticism of Israeli policy is legitimate.

The former Mossad chief emphasized that "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."

He also warned that Britain is facing a serious terror threat and that rising antisemitism has made the country increasingly dangerous for its Jewish population.

"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," the former Mossad chief assessed.

Cohen said British political rhetoric about Israel could also have consequences beyond relations between the two governments.

"So I do understand politics," he continued. "And when your prime ministers are communicating to your own audience, saying, ‘Yes, we will counter Israel and they’re doing genocide in Gaza, blah, blah, blah’, this is eventually super poor politics,” Cohen said.

"It is not respecting what the State of Israel is actually doing, not only for us, but for UK citizens too," the former Mossad chief concluded.