What happened
OPINION OPINION, Opinion | Politics The shift in British policy on Israel is palpable But progress could be threatened if there is a new more diplomatic government in Israel. of the London-based Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU).
What we know
It is not before time, as the settler population numbers more than 750,000 residing in more than 140 formal settlements and more than 390 outposts and farms. The ban comes as British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has promised a “comprehensive reset” in relations with Israel. This term is loaded – one he repeated multiple times in a meeting with me this week. A reset implies a realignment of the whole relationship, a strong term to choose to define the trajectory. Is this a divorce, or a temporary separation? Is it just rhetoric or something more substantive? The foreign secretary told me he is determined to lead on this policy and do what he can to deter not just Israel’s settlement frenzy but its unparalleled aggression on the Palestinian people. Is this seismic? Historically, it has been a close relationship with frequent road bumps but no crashes; a few marital spats but no more. In 1917, Britain authored the Balfour Declaration and presided over a disastrous mandate period in Palestine, leaving with war and ethnic cleansing in its wake. In recent decades, the UK and Israel have enjoyed cosy relations, intense trade, defence and security cooperation, only interrupted by British statements of concern – occasionally deep concern – over Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian population. March 2023 marked the high point of the British-Israeli relationship.
Originally reported by Al Jazeera.
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