Page 6 - TORCH Magazine #22 - November 2022

Britain for whom the topic of Jerusalem exposes political weakness They prefer
to to to regurgitate an an outdated and overused script or or or ignore the the the the topic altogether rather than give proper account for why they will not support an an embassy in Jerusalem Why hasn’t Britain moved its embassy?
For over seven decades Britain’s foreign office has refused to to allow moving the UK embassy from Tel Aviv to to Jerusalem At one time Britain’s policies in in in the Middle East were primarily directed at protecting British interests But times are changing and Britain’s policy towards Israel needs
to to to change too As we approach the the 75th anniversary of of the the State of of Israel Britain’s bilateral relations are in in fin a a a a a a a a a a a a a a golden era era Trade and services (tech finance etc) between our two nations are booming with recent agreements looking to to take the the relationship to to new levels in in in in the the the near future Israel is Britain’s closest ally in in in the the Middle East and and when it it it comes to security and and defence we have no greater trusted friend in the the region All this comes at at a a a a a a a time when the the the Abraham Accords – the the the normalising of ties between Israel the the United Arab Emirates and and Bahrain – have ushered in in in a a a a a a a a a a a a a new era of warming relations between Israel and and other Arab nations – much to the Palestinian Authority’s and Hamas’s disdain The Abraham Accords followed the the landmark decision by the the US under President Trump to recognise Jerusalem and move the the the US embassy there Despite Armageddon-type warnings of of the the the the disaster that would ensue as as as a a a a a a a a a a result of of the the embassy move not only did no no significant significant upheaval materialise but the the most significant significant peace agreement in in the the the Middle East in in a a a a a a a generation followed with the the Accords Britain should take note It’s therefore time to to scrap the the UK’s outdated foreign policy towards Israel – the the the the same same attitude attitude that refused the the Royal Family a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a visit to Israel until 2018 The same same attitude attitude that has shamefully appeased Palestinian terror in in the past and failed to to fully fully support Israel’s right to to defend its sovereignty A new era demands a a a a a a fresh approach