Prime Minister Truss has said she is  “a huge Zionist and huge supporter of Israel” and pledged she would “take the UK-Israel relationship from strength to strength”.

The comments came in an address at the Conservative Friends of Israel reception during the Tory conference in Birmingham. In front of a full room, Truss also reiterated her decision to review the location of the UK embassy in Israel and spoke of her concern about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“As you know, I am a huge Zionist. I am a huge supporter of Israel. And I know that we can take the UK-Israel relationship from strength to strength.”

Tell Liz Truss to move the embassy – Click here

Speaking of the close alliance between the UK and Israel, Truss added, “In this world – where we are facing threats from authoritarian regimes who don’t believe in freedom and democracy – two free democracies, the UK and Israel, need to stand shoulder to shoulder and we will be even closer in the future”

Truss also spoke of her determination to stop Iran getting nuclear weapons, and her determination to proceed with the Westminster Holocaust Memorial.

The PM asserted: “Believe me, the UK will never allow – together with our allies – Iran to get a nuclear weapon”.

Truss added: “In this world – where we are facing threats from authoritarian regimes who don’t believe in freedom and democracy – two free democracies, the UK and Israel, need to stand shoulder to shoulder and we will be even closer in the future.”

The UK’s Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, also spoke of his “incredible pride” at being involved in the “warming of relations between Israel and its neighbours in the region”, adding that it “is something the UK should celebrate”.

Recalling his time playing Perchick in an amateur production of Fiddler on the Roof in his youth, the Foreign Secretary said the UK can “very effectively play the role of matchmaker”.

He said the UK would be “trying to make those relationships stronger. Making sure that they are permanent. Making sure that they work for everybody at all levels – government to government, people to people, business to business”.

Committing to visiting Israel soon Cleverly said: “You know what I know…Israel has been a beacon of democracy, liberalism, openness, tolerance in a part of the world where that has not been the history”.

On relations with Israel he added: “I see how closely we work on medical science and technology – the kind of collaboration that will hopefully prevent something like Coronavirus ever happening again”.

Conservative Party Chairman Jake Berry stated: “I follow the Prime Minister in stating in no uncertain terms the commitment of this Party to support the State of Israel. You have my unwavering commitment as Chairman of the Party that we will continue to build strong relationships with the State of Israel and to support it in its fight to ensure that it remains safe and that the capital in Jerusalem is the home to our new Embassy”.

International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said that the UK-Israel Free Trade Agreement would be “right at the top of the list” of her priorities.

Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Michelle Donelan announced that one of her first international visits will be to Israel and said “there are so many lessons that we can take from Israel”.

The Culture Secretary said she was “exceptionally proud of the work I did as Universities Minister to crack down on the antisemitism that runs through some of the political movements still in this country”.

She vowed: “As a Government, we remain firm on our commitment to stamp out antisemitism in every corner of our society. One of the things I did was to put the largest set of sanctions on the NUS because they fail to recognise what they were doing.

” Under this Prime Minister we will be taking even more of those actions, because we certainly should be ensuring that people who grow up in the society of modern Britain don’t even have to consider antisemitism”.

Liam Fox MP, who is standing for election to be the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, heralded the “ground-breaking” Abraham Accords which would “bring prosperity across the region”.

He called for the UK to follow the United States in proscribing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and expressed concern about Iran’s escalating nuclear activities, stating: “If we don’t make the tough choices today, the price tomorrow will be infinitely higher”.

At the same event, Robert Jenrick announced that the UK has earmarked a site suitable for a British embassy in Jerusalem.

“I’m delighted ⁦[Liz Truss] committed to review Embassy move,” he told the packed event on Sunday, “We have a site in Jerusalem waiting to go. It is time we took responsibility, built that Embassy and recognised the true capital of Israel is obviously Jerusalem”

In September, CUFI announced the UK Pledge for Jerusalem, through which CUFI is asking supporters to sign, calling for Liz Truss to move the embassy to Jerusalem.

We call upon the UK Government to officially recognise Jerusalem is Israel's capital and move its embassy to Jerusalem.

Click here to sign the petition
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