Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Prime Minister Theresa May for talks in London on Monday. The meeting will be the first between the two Prime Ministers since Theresa May entered Downing Street last year.
They are expected to discuss Israel’s strengthening trade ties, the civil war in Syria, and the nuclear deal with Iran.
A spokesperson from Number 10 said: “I think they will want to talk about how we strengthen the bilateral relationship, particularly looking at trade and the progress that’s been made in recent years, particularly linking up on innovation and technology. Of course, alongside that, they will want to talk about a range of security and international issues, including the Middle East peace process”.
The spokesperson added: “I would expect the Prime Minister to set out the Government’s position that we think the continued increase in settlement activity undermines trust. Our focus is on how do we make a two-state solution with an Israel that is safe from terrorism and a Palestinian state that is viable and sovereign, work”.
The spokeswoman stressed, however, that discussions about settlements are expected to only form a small part of discussions, commenting that the British Prime Minister recognises that “settlements are far from the only problem in this conflict” and that Israelis have a “right to live free from the threat of terrorism”.
Speaking to the Republican Party ‘Conference of Tomorrow’ conference in Philadelphia last week, Prime Minister May vowed to “stand up for” the security of Israel, stating: “Whether it is the security of Israel in the Middle East or the Baltic states in Eastern Europe, we must always stand up for our friends and allies in democratic countries that find themselves in tough neighbourhoods too”.
