BySandy Rashty, Sandy Rashty
Israel's Chief Scientist, Avi Hasson, has warned that boycott campaigns could deter Israelis from trading with Britain.
Mr Hasson, whose office is part of Israel's Ministry of Economy, met senior ministers and business leaders in London at a conference co-organised by UK Israel Business and the British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association.
He told the JC that boycotts changed how Israelis perceived the UK as a trading partner. "The perception Israelis have about the feeling in places like the UK and parts of Europe is not positive," he said. "Israelis are saying, 'why should we go there? Let's go to Massachusetts'."
British ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould, told delegates Britain benefited from Israeli technology and research, while Israel needed British finance and global companies. "We're nowhere near the potential for this relationship that we could be reaching," he said.
Hugo Bieber, chief executive of UK Israel Business, said bilateral trade for the first eight months of 2014 was up by just over 28 per cent.