Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have his first face-to-face meeting with Theresa May on Monday (6 February), the Israeli embassy in London confirmed on Thursday.

Netanyahu's trip to the UK will come after he allegedly cancelled a planned meet-up between the leaders at the World Economic Summit in Davos in January.

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The move was apparently in protest over the UK backing a UN Security Council resolution branding Israeli settlements as "illegal".

But May has since criticised former US Secretary of State John Kerry after he attacked Netanyahu over his pro-settlement position.

"The status quo is leading toward one state and perpetual occupation," the top American diplomat warned. Kerry also described the Israeli government as the "most right-wing coalition in Israeli history".

A Downing Street spokesperson said it was "not appropriate" for Kerry to "attack the composition of the democratically elected government of an ally".

The announcement of Netanyahu's visit coincides with the news that anti-Semitic hate crimes have hit record levels in the UK, according to The Community Security Trust.

The charity collated 1,309 anti-Semitic incidents in 2016, a 36% hike on 2015. May spoke out against anti-Semitism during a speech to the Conservative Friends of Israel in December.

"As I have said, Israel guarantees the rights of people of all religions, races and sexualities, and it wants to enable everyone to flourish," she said.

"Our aim in Britain is the same: to create a better, fairer society, helping everyone to reach as far as their talents will allow.

"That is why we should be so proud of the contribution Britain's Jewish communities make to our country. From business to the arts, public services to education, that contribution is exemplary.

"In order to help people of all backgrounds reach their potential, we need to remove the barriers that stand in their way – and that includes bigotry, discrimination and hatred.

"Let me be clear: it is unacceptable that there is anti-Semitism in this country. It is even worse that incidents are reportedly on the rise."

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