FWIW, from Australian blogger John Ray, economist and former member of the British Conservative Party.

There has long been a lot of antisemitism in Britain’s Foreign Office. It may not be the case in this instance but in general, it is said to be a homosexual thing. Arabs understand concealed homosexuality and concealed homosexuality is said to be common in the FO. FO people mostly come from “Public” (fee-paying) school backgrounds, where homosexuality was traditionally tolerated