Britain’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood speaks at Britain’s Labour Party’s annual conference, in Liverpool, Britain, Sept. 28, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja

The British government has unveiled a new plan to resettle Palestinian refugees, drawing sharp warnings from Jewish leaders who fear the program could intensify antisemitism in Britain as concerns mount over radicalization and extremist activity within immigrant populations.

During the left-wing Labour Party’s annual conference on Monday, British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the reopening of a resettlement scheme that had been frozen two years ago, saying the program would now prioritize the most vulnerable refugees and provide them with a pathway to safety in Britain.

Under the new initiative, Palestinians and women and girls from Afghanistan are expected to make up about a quarter of those resettled.

“I know the British people have not given up on their belief that we should be compassionate, live up to our international obligations, and save the lives of those fleeing war and persecution,” Mahmood said during her speech. “But I also know this process must be capped and controlled, and communities must be ready and able to welcome those who come here.”

“This is what we can do and who we can be as we restore control to our borders, bear down on the small boat crossings, and unlock the inherent generosity of this country,” the British official continued.

Unlike refugees admitted through other routes, who must have their status reviewed every 30 months, those arriving under the new initiative will be granted immediate, indefinite leave to remain in the country, shortening the route to permanent settlement and citizenship, though the number admitted will initially be limited by an annual cap.

In partnership with the United Nations, Mahmood said the scheme is intended to help “vulnerable refugees from across the world and give them the chance of a new and better life here in Britain.”

However, the new program has drawn criticism from political figures across the spectrum and Jewish leaders, who warn that inadequate screening could allow radicalized individuals to enter Britain and further worsen the antisemitism crisis facing Jews and Israelis across the country.

In a letter to Mahmood, the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) — an umbrella group representing Jewish organizations across the UK — expressed concern that the initiative could make antisemitic views “more prevalent” unless effective security screening and education are provided to those selected for resettlement.

“Britain can offer sanctuary to those genuinely facing persecution while protecting the safety of the communities in which they will make their homes and upholding the values of the country we love,” the letter reads.

Jewish leaders specifically asked how identity and security checks will be conducted and whether new arrivals will undergo “cultural orientation” to address antisemitism, seeking greater clarity on how the government will ensure those admitted do not pose security or social risks.

JLC also asked about “the steps which can be taken to remove a person if serious security concerns emerge after arrival.”

Concerns over the effectiveness of Britain’s screening procedures have resurfaced after The Sunday Times reported on a former bodyguard to assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was granted asylum and later obtained British citizenship.

British authorities recently arrested him on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack against Jewish communities and Israelis in Europe around the third anniversary of the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

According to the government’s official data, 1,900 immigration offenders were arrested in the year to March 2026, a 74 percent increase from the previous year, underscoring the scale of Britain’s ongoing immigration enforcement challenges.

During Monday’s conference, Mahmood also unveiled three other refugee initiatives designed to expand the role of British communities, including partnerships with charities and nonprofits, universities, and employers to help refugees integrate and find work in Britain.

Integrating Palestinians at universities has become a source of controversy across Europe.

In the Netherlands, for example, Maastricht University recently suspended a Palestinian student who posted a video on social media claiming to have participated in Hamas’s Oct. 7 atrocities.

In a separate case last summer, French authorities halted evacuations from Gaza after a Palestinian student was expelled from the Sciences Po Lille and placed under investigation, following the viral circulation of hundreds of antisemitic posts praising Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and calling for the murder of Jews.

Despite such incidents, however, the British government is intent on pushing forward with its plan.

Beginning next month, charities and nonprofits will be able to apply to sponsor refugees through local community programs, while universities can apply to sponsor refugee students, with the first arrivals through both routes expected in fall 2027.

The third route will focus on employment, with companies able to apply from spring 2027 to sponsor refugees and provide them with a pathway into the British workforce, with the first arrivals expected later that year.

Under these new programs, sponsors will be responsible for providing accommodation, integration support, and assistance in finding employment, with the government saying the approach will also help ease pressure on local authorities.

In partnership with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), the government will identify eligible refugees for resettlement, initially accepting hundreds before gradually increasing the number into the low thousands as illegal migration is expected to decline, with an annual cap set each year.

The government’s latest refugee initiatives come amid a deepening antisemitism crisis in the UK, where antisemitic incidents surged 21 percent in just the first six months of 2026, reaching the second-highest total ever recorded for the period.

According to a report by the Community Security Trust (CST), a Jewish charity that monitors antisemitism and provides security for Jewish communities across the country, preliminary figures show 1,926 anti-Jewish hate incidents recorded between January and June 2026, up from 1,598 during the same period last year.

With an average of 321 antisemitic incidents recorded every month, the latest figures represent nearly double the levels seen before the Oct. 7 atrocities — pointing to an increasingly hostile climate facing Britain’s Jewish community amid rising violence and persistent anti-Jewish hatred.

CST also reported a sharp escalation in the severity of antisemitic attacks, with physical assaults soaring 82 percent to 135 cases, school-related incidents climbing 59 percent to 178, and antisemitic acts targeting synagogues increasing 31 percent.