Boris Johnson says UK’s commitment to Israel’s security is “unshakable”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reaffirmed the UK’s committment to Israel’s security in new letter in the Conservative Friends of Israel’s (CFoI) latest magazine.

“I have always been proud to be considered a friend of Israel,” Johnson said in the letter.

“From my first expeditions to Israel as a young man to my recent visits as mayor and foreign secretary, I have always been struck by the ingenuity and fortitude of the Israeli people – and by the great achievements of the State of Israel in the face of ever-present threats and intimidation.”

“The United Kingdom has always stood by Israel and its right to live as any nation should be able to do so, in peace and in security. Our commitment to Israel’s security will be unshakable while I am prime minister,” he noted.

Johnson noted that Israel and the UK were celebrating 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“I am delighted to say that the friendship between our two nations remains as strong as it has ever been,” he said.

“As the UK forges a new role on the global stage outside the EU, I want us to continue to strengthen our bilateral relationship with Israel including in areas such as trade. And we will continue to work side by side with Israel in the fight against coronavirus, as we share information and insights on how to overcome this unprecedented challenge.”

Mr Johnson also praised the historic peace deals between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain, saying that, “Despite the challenges of current circumstances, it has been extremely encouraging to see the exciting news of the normalization of relations between Israel and two other great friends of the UK.”

Fortunately, the Prime Minister did not feel the need to mention annexation (sovereignty), and instead kept the positive position the UK has surrounding the normalisation agreements.

It is reassuring that Britain has a Prime Minister who is openly supportive of Israel and has a history of visiting Israel and standing with the Jewish people. However, we do feel there is far more to be done to strengthen ties between the UK and Israel, so we are pushing for our government to go further.

You can click on the link below to see our 12 Actions booklet, either online or receive a copy in the post for free, and this outlines what we at CUFI UK want to see from our government moving forward.

Some of the objectives include ending the UK’s involvement in the disastrous Iran Nuclear Deal, strengthening trade ties with Israel after Brexit and of course moving the UK Embassy to Jerusalem.

Let’s keep the pressure on the government to represent our values and stand boldly with Israel in the days ahead.