Page 8 - TORCH Magazine - Issue #20

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CUFI.ORG.UK
that they were condemned.
I was invited by students of
LSE, and I came for an open discussion. Radicals who do
not desire peace came to
block this opportunity – an opportunity they had to ask
me questions, to generate dialogue. In the end, we had
an event with around 200 students that lasted for over
one hour, and was very successful.
“Jerusalem has been our capital for over 3,000 years, and no one can deny this connection.”
Turning our attention to Israel, what do you believe are the greatest challenges facing Israel’s security now and in the near future that CUFI supporters need to be aware of ?
By far the greatest security challenge to Israel is Iran's aim to secure nuclear weapons. As our Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid have made clear, we will do everything to fight this ambition, which is essentially an existential threat to our State.
The Iranian regime poses a significant threat, not only to Israel but also to the entire world. The British government understands this very well, and we have a strong alliance in countering Iran's nuclear aims.
CUFI UK has called for Britain to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the UK embassy there from Tel Aviv. We’ve seen a number of countries do this or begin the process. Would you mind sharing why doing so has been important for Israel and the respective countries?
The answer is simple: all embassies should be located in our capital, as is the practice all over the world.
After the USA moved their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, many people thought it would encourage violence, but in fact, the opposite is true. Jerusalem is a vibrant city where Arabs and Jews live together in peace, and the presence of the embassy does not increase tensions in any way.
Jerusalem has been our capital for over 3,000 years, and no one can deny this connection The diplomatic and just thing to do is to respect history, and it is for this reason that we ask all embassies to locate themselves in Jerusalem. I hope that we will soon see the right moment for Britain to make this move.
You arrived as ambassador at a time of significant peace agreements in the Middle East, with the breakthrough Abraham Accords normalising ties between Israel and four Arab nations. (a) What are the implications of this and (b) do you think there is anything Britain can do supportively to widen the circle further in the region?
The implications of normalisation
are vast, in terms of both regional stability, economic benefits via business opportunities and people-to-people exchanges.
Britain can certainly play an important role in this process. The UK has always been deeply connected to the Gulf countries and when friends can speak in the same voice, it is very powerful. The UK publicly celebrated the first anniversary of the Abraham Accords at an event at the Houses of Parliament in September last year, which reflects Britain's commitment to furthering these ties.
The recent drone attack in Abu Dhabi clearly demonstrates that the threat of radical terror is a danger to us all, and we are strongly united against it. Britain plays a major role in further bringing us together in our shared aims, as an important power that knows both sides well and can develop peaceful ties.