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UK Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss said she would consider moving the British embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem if she becomes prime minister next month.
In a letter to the Conservative Friends of Israel, Truss wrote that she understood the “importance and sensitivity” of the British embassy’s location in Israel.
“I had many discussions with my good friend Prime Minister Lapid about this matter. Recognizing this, I will review a move to ensure we operate with the strongest base within Israel.”
The US has become the first country to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem under former US President Donald Trump.
Truss also pledged to ensure passage of a bill to end local councils that carry Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) policies targeting Israel.
“Public bodies should not be involved in such discriminatory policies that contradict the stance of this government and sow unnecessary division. I will make sure this stops.
“Our shared values are strong and need to be defended. The UK should stand side by side with Israel, now and in the future. As prime minister, I would be at the forefront of this mission,” he said.
Trump’s historic policies on Israel will last https://t.co/sdZ6srZxE6
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 21, 2021
“It also remains important to me that the public be informed about the dangers of anti-Semitism and the role it plays in fueling anti-Zionism and anti-Israel sentiment,” he said.
“A critical part of this is ongoing education about the horrors of the Holocaust, which I hope will be reflected in a fitting memorial to the memories of millions of victims.”
He promised that “all options are on the table” if Iran rejects a return to the tattered nuclear deal.
Truss will meet former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who wrote his own letter to the Conservative Friends of Israel group expressing his support for Israel.
Sunak said he would seek “a new, strengthened nuclear deal that extends the sunset clauses, lengthens the disengagement period and limits Iran’s ballistic missile program. The credible threat of extraordinary sanctions, which has so far been missing from the negotiations, is the only way we can force Iran to seriously engage with these proposals.”
“Iran’s quest for regional hegemony and the threat it poses to Israel trouble me deeply,” Sunak wrote. “We cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon and the UK and Israel must strengthen our diplomatic, defense and intelligence cooperation to prevent this from happening.”
Praising the Trump-led Abraham Accords, Sunak said “the UK has a responsibility to build on its strong ties with other Gulf states to expand the number of signatories to the agreement”.
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