At one point the protest surged onto the street in Whitehall as police struggled to contain the numbers.

His arrival was not greeted with a repeat of the vocal protests seen outside the gates of Number 10 on the eve of the visit. when campaigners demanding his arrest for alleged war crimes in Gaza clashed with pro-Israel activists.

Protester Arij told Socialist Worker, “Netanyahu is a war criminal”.

Netanyahu was expected to meet with David Cameron to discuss “regional security cooperation” in the Middle East.

Pro-Palestinian campaigners have denounced Mr Netanyahu’s visit.

“I truly hope that Britain will continue to be at the forefront of protecting Israel, enforcing the provisions of the Iran agreement if it is ratified and standing against Iran’s risky destabilizing policies in the Middle East”.

The response however did go on to acknowledge what it called the bad toll of last year’s Gaza conflict.

In July a year ago, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge against Gaza that resulted in more than 2,160 Palestinian deaths, mostly civilians.

He said the meeting also shows that Obama believes the relationship between the US and Israel is “critically important” and “something worth talking about and investing in”.

In opening remarks, Mr Cameron said the United Kingdom “remains staunch in our defence of Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself”.

Yair Lapid of the centrist Yesh Atid party said that allowing Palestinian refugees from Syria in to Israel could legitimize the Palestinians’ claim of a right of return.

But opposition to Israel has been growing inside Britain.

Media reported a petition for his arrest for alleged war crimes have received more than 100,000 signatures. Now, over 108,000 people have signed it.

Israel is also under pressure from a burgeoning Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.

The European Parliament has expressed its support for putting special labels on consumer goods produced in West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights settlements.

While in London Netanyahu in responded to recent threats and statements from Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by saying, “Khamenei makes it clear that the United States is the Great Satan and that Iran intends to destroy Israel – that will not happen. Look at who is attacking us; they are the supporters of ISIS, Hamas and Hezbollah”. “Being from Northern Ireland I could empathise greatly with Palestinians, with all the horrors they faced, although they face much deadlier scenarios than we had here growing up”.