CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman, Rt. Hon. Sir Eric Pickles MP, will lead CFI’s new team of Parliamentary Officers on a high-profile parliamentary delegation to Israel next week.
The visit marks the formation of CFI’s new team of Parliamentary Officers which, working alongside Sir Eric, will serve as Israel’s strongest supporters in Parliament. The group includes Vice-Chairmen Guto Bebb MP, John Howell MP and Andrew Percy MP, as well as Bob Blackman MP, Matthew Offord MP, Chloe Smith MP and Heather Wheeler MP.
The delegation, which features a full itinerary of political and security briefings, will give the group a first-hand look at the latest situation in Israel ahead of the next Parliamentary term.
During their visit, the delegation will be meeting with the President of Israel Reuven Rivlin and senior Government figures, including the Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely. At the Knesset, the group will meet with Yesh Atid leader, Yair Lapid, and the Co-Chairman of the Israel-United Kingdom Parliamentary Friendship Group, Hilik Bar MK and Yoav Kisch MK.
The fully-packed itinerary also features meetings with Dore Gold, the Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as visits to Sderot, a kibbutz along the Gaza border, a desalination plant in Ashkelon, the Weizmann Institute and Save A Child’s Child.
The visit will also include a visit to the West Bank to meet with the Mayor of Bethlehem and Palestinian businesspeople.
CFI Director, Stuart Polak CBE said:
“CFI is delighted that our new team of Parliamentary Officers will be joining us in Israel next week, alongside Sir Eric. The group will hear first-hand about the immense challenges facing Israel along its borders, including Hamas’s rearming in Gaza and the emergence of ISIS in northern Egypt. Israel needs its strongest friends to be up-to-date on these crucial issues going into this new Parliament”.
