Lord Ahmad, the UK’s Minister of State for the Middle East, North
Africa, South Asia, the UN and the Prime Minister’s Special
Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, has
undertaken a two-day official visit to Israel during which he met
interfaith leaders, members of the tech sector and held bilateral
talks with Government of Israel Ministers.
On Tuesday, the Minister visited Ahmadia Mosque, where he met
with Imam Mohammad Sharif Oudeh, Rabbi Golan Ben Horin, Reverent
Hatim Shihade, Sheikh Kassem Bader, Haifa’s Mayor Einat Kalish
Rotem, and discussed co-existence in Haifa. Lord Ahmad then
continued on a tour to the Baha’i Gardens, to hear about the
history of the Baha’i faith and the role Haifa has played as the
heart of the Baha’i community.
The Minister visited the Technion – The Israeli Institute of
Technology - where he was briefed about Israel’s top tier
scientific innovation. He was hosted by Professor Hosam Hayek, a
recipient of the BIRAX grant for UK-IL scientific collaborations,
who presented the results of his research in early-stage disease
detection to the Minister.
Lord Ahmad also met with leading stakeholders in the Arab-Israeli
tech ecosystem before visiting the ESIL innovation and venture
lab, where he met with Moshe Kaplinsky, Chairman of Bazan Group
and ESIL CEO, Amir Horowitz, who presented him with Israeli
start-ups developing innovative solutions to climate challenges.
Today (Wednesday) Lord Ahmad held bilateral meetings with the
Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, and the Economy Minister,
Nir Barkat. Lord Ahmad and Minister Cohen discussed regional
security issues including Iran, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the opportunities presented by
the Abraham Accords. Lord Ahmad and Minister Barkat discussed the
ongoing Israel-UK free trade agreement negotiations and the
possibilities held for Israeli companies in the UK.
At the end of his visit, Lord Ahmad said:
I am pleased to be back in Israel and meet with members of the
new government. Israel is a valued partner for the UK, and I am
excited to continue strengthening our bilateral relations and
trade partnership and taking it to new heights.
With counterparts, I discussed the UK and Israel’s shared
security threats, including Iran’s destabilising actions in the
region and Russia’s unprovoked, premeditated invasion of Ukraine.
I also encouraged all efforts to avoid provocative unilateral
actions in Jerusalem and the Occupied Palestinian Territories,
which only serve to undermine prospects for a lasting and
peaceful solution.
