Benjamin Netanyahu will celebrate the signing of a “roadmap” for future Anglo-Israeli relations signed earlier in the week and will continue to press for a tough joint stance on Iran on his official visit to London, the JC understands.
The Israeli leader will not meet British Jewish community groups, with the Board of Deputies expressing disappointment at the decision. Earlier this month, he faced protests when he travelled to Germany and Italy, and US President Joe Biden told him that Israel must respect constitutional norms.
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An anti-reform bill poster
The prime minister lands in London amid political turmoil at home. His visit to Downing Street this week could turn out to be a miscalculation, the chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee warned.
Tory MP Alicia Kearns said the developing political crisis over Netanyahu’s plans to weaken the power of Israel’s Supreme Court could undermine support for Israel among British politicians and by visiting now the Israeli prime minister would only draw attention to the controversy.
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Board of Deputies president Marie Van Der Zyl (Photo: handout)
Netanyahu is believed to be due to visit Rishi Sunak at Downing Street on Friday and is likely to face protests organised by leading Jewish community figures and organisations.
Kearns said: “I think a lot of Westminster politicians will be shocked by these protests, simply because they haven’t been following events in Israel all that closely, so I’m not sure that Netanyahu coming here now is a wise move.
“Israel has many friends in Parliament and people here are used to defending it, but we may be moving to a different place. If the constitutional conflict deepens, criticism of the Israeli government will become much more mainstream.”
She added that new Israeli government policies were causing major unease. She said: “We don’t want to see ministers suggesting that Jordan doesn’t exist, or the expansion of West Bank settlements.
“Above all, we don’t want to see a third intifada, with the misery and loss of life that this would entail — yet sometimes it feels there are people on both sides, Israeli and Palestinian, who would like this to happen.”
