“The fact that this is the hot ticket every year at the
Conference shows clearly, visibly, unambiguously - that the
Conservative Party was, is and will always be a staunch friend of
Israel”, UK Foreign Secretary, declared at the packed-out
Conservative Friends of Israel reception. Attendees at the CFI
Reception were addressed by six cabinet ministers including the
Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, Defence Secretary and Health
Secretary.
Sharing memories from his Israel trip with CFI, the Foreign
Secretary told over 500 attendees that “the first experience I
had in the ‘apartheid’ state of Israel, just as the sun was
touching the seas of the Mediterranean was the Islamic call to
prayer from the Mosque next to our hotel”. CFI’s keynote speaker
described Arab Israelis picnicking on the beach alongside those
in swimwear “in perfect peace and harmony”.
The Minister also reaffirmed his recent statement after his visit
to Israel that “Israel’s security is our security”. “Our support
for their security will always be unwavering”, he concluded.
Defence Secretary , hailed the CFI reception. He
emphasised that the Conservative Party “understand that Israel
always has and always will have a right to defend itself”. He
added that he “is enormously proud” that in all of his years in
the Conservative Party “not once have I experienced antisemitism”
Home Secretary , also pledged her support
to the Jewish State. “Israel represents defying the odds,
resilience, democracy, freedom, strength, courage. And those
values and that spirit of Israel and the Jewish community here in
the UK is something unparalleled and incredibly powerful”.
Health Secretary , highlighted that “the
partnership with Israel is one that runs across Cabinet and
across the Government as a whole”. “It is not just about defence,
not just about security, what it is fundamentally about is
values”, he added. “Beliefs in freedom, in choice, in individual
liberty, in democracy, in security…are the deep-seated values
that Israel and the United Kingdom share”.
Leader of the House of Commons , acknowledged that “people
in this room face incredible intimidation, death
threats…originating from Iran” and are her “political heroes”.
“We have conspiracy theories, we have misinformation that is
perpetuated about Israel and also the Jewish community”, she
noted. “We need to get much more sophisticated in how we combat
those lies”, she added.
, Conservative Party Chairman,
“praise[d]” the work of CFI for their campaigning on behalf of
the Party and for their “important” and “educational”
delegations. He also discussed the Government’s “important work”
on the Economic Activities of Public Bodies Bill “on making sure
we’re stopping public bodies from boycotting Israel”. He
underscored the “huge amount of trade we are doing with Israel”
and noted the importance of technology and innovation.
CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman (Lords) who chaired the event,
lauded the Reception as the only reception “that you see all the
cabinet at and all the rising stars of the Conservative Party”
and “frankly [I] can’t think of a better way to start the
evening”.
CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman (Commons), , underscored that whilst
“left-wingers [are] trying to delegitimise Israel, speaking down
Israel, trying to trash the UK-Israel friendship, we have some
great supporters who will stand up in the House of Commons and
challenge them and make the case on why the state of Israel will
last forever and why our friendship with it will last”.
Chair of the Abraham Accords Group, Rt. Hon. MP defined the Abraham Accords as
“one of the most important international, and most significant
event in recent times”. He announced the Abraham Accords Start-Up
Fund, which he will be to signal to “young people in the region
that there is a different way to do business, there is a
different future to be had… based on mutual prosperity, and
therefore mutual security”.
The MP urged the Government to proscribe the Islamic
Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). “We need to recognise the IRGC
are a danger to the United Kingdom and our citizens,” he argued.
The IRGC are guilty of war crimes and “guilty in complicity” of
Russia’s war crimes”, he continued. The IRGC “are not just a
threat to Israel, are not just a threat to the region, they are a
threat to us, and a threat to our allies. A threat to our very
values; values that we share of democracy, of human rights - of
rule of law. All the things that matter to us.” “If damage is
done to one of us it is done to the values of all of us”, he
added.
Oren Mormerstein, Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the UK also spoke
at the Reception. He outlined Iran as Israel’s largest threat and
that “Iranian aggression is becoming bolder and more concerning”
and more “dangerous” than ever.
He warned that “the Iranians are getting closer and closer to the
one thing they want most - a nuclear weapon”. He argued that
“only two things can stop Iran from reaching this: crippling
sanctions and a credible military threat”.
“Iran can never - and will never - have a nuclear weapon, and we
will make sure this is the case no matter what it takes”, he
added.
The Deputy Ambassador announced that there is “great hope coming
from our region” including “our hopes and efforts to establish a
peaceful relationship with Saudi Arabia”.
He paid tribute to CFI’s work: “thank you for being Israel’s best
friend in the entire UK”.
Also in attendance was the Bahraini Ambassador, Holocaust
survivor Hannah Lewis MBE and her husband Michael, as well as
representatives from the Board of Deputies and the Jewish
Leadership Council.
