ByTPS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated:

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar spoke with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, voicing his opposition to the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending a UEFA Europa League match against Aston Villa next month.

“This is a scandalous prohibition. The foreign minister has made it clear that we expect this shameful decision to be reversed,” his office stated.

During the conversation, Cooper expressed the British government’s reservations about the decision and said that work would be done to find an appropriate solution.

Sa’ar also called for action against the slogan “from the river to the sea,” arguing that it is a call for the destruction of Israel.

"A clear line, he said, must be drawn between freedom of expression and hate speech," a press release from the Foreign Ministry noted.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper waits to greet attendees at Hillsborough Castle as they attend the Western Balkans Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting on October 9, 2025 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper waits to greet attendees at Hillsborough Castle as they attend the Western Balkans Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting on October 9, 2025 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (credit: Charles McQuillan/Pool via REUTERS)

Sa'ar calls for UK to adopt antisemitism legislation 

The foreign minister also pushed for the UK to adopt legislation against the phrase, the release stated.

The pair additionally discussed the situation in Gaza and Hamas's violation of the ceasefire regarding the return of the slain hostages. 

Cooper told Saar that the UK would continue to press for the return of the killed hostages.