Prime Minister has emphasised that Israel is
“an incredibly important ally of the United Kingdom” and
identified himself as a “proud friend of Israel”, in an exclusive
letter written to Conservative Friends of Israel – see attached.
Outlining his “dedication to Israel as the homeland of the Jewish
people”, the Prime Minister speaks of a “friendship that makes
our citizens healthier through our joint collaboration on COVID
vaccines, more prosperous thanks to record trade flows, and also
safer as a result of close security and military cooperation”.
The Prime Minister writes that he is “determined to further
strengthen the breadth and depth of our bilateral relationship”,
reiterating his commitment to securing a UK Israel Free Trade
Agreement and to fulfil the 2019 Conservative manifesto pledge to
combat Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) policies with
legislation.
Identifying himself as a “proud friend of Israel”, Mr Sunak vows
to “fight very hard for the security of people in Israel and to
continue the UK’s determined efforts to end the bias against
Israel”. Iran’s nuclear escalation is described as “threatening
international security and undermining the global
non-proliferation system”. The Prime Minister asserts that the UK
“will continue working with Israel and all our allies to prevent
Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon”.
The “ground-breaking” Abraham Accords are heralded as “one of the
greatest achievements in the history of diplomacy in the Middle
East”, with the Prime Minister stating that the UK will “continue
to do all it can to leverage our strong ties with other Gulf
states to expand the number of signatories to the agreement and
enhance the already blossoming opportunities opened up”.
Vowing to “tackle antisemitic hate” and “ensure this scourge on
our society is eradicated”, Mr Sunak recalled how he as
Chancellor had committed to making the Holocaust Memorial and
Learning Centre free to visit in perpetuity and reiterated the
importance of building the Memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens “as
soon as possible”.
Mr Sunak thanks CFI – “an integral asset to our great Party” –
for its “tireless work to strengthen the relationship” between
the UK and Israel.
The PM’s letter to CFI follows his first major foreign policy
speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet on Tuesday, during which he
spoke of his intention to work closely with “friends” in Israel.
