UK to Deepen Relationship with Israel

In a speech on the first day of this year’s Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, Liz Truss described UK foreign policy as one of strengthening security ties with other liberal democracies, e.g. Australia, Japan, South Korea and Israel.

The new Foreign Secretary described the approach as a “patriotic foreign policy”, saying:

“My vision is to strengthen our economic and security ties in order to build a
network of liberty around the world. We will have a positive, proactive and patriotic
foreign policy that expands trade routes, strengthens security partnerships,
and supports development around the world.”

She went on to issue a sombre warning:

“The democratic world order faces a stark choice. Either we retreat and retrench in
the face of malign actors … or we club together and advance the cause of freedom.
We need to rise to meet this moment.”

Liz Truss speaking at a Conservative Friends of Israel meeting.

At a fringe meeting during the conference, she spoke specifically about Israel, saying:

“The United Kingdom wants to build with our friends and allies around the world,
and there is no closer friend and ally than the State of Israel”.

The Foreign Secretary confirmed the UK’s commitment to preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power, by working “night and day with our friends and allies across the world to stop that from happening.”

She described Israel as:

“a freedom-loving democracy which we completely want to work with
and stand by and develop a deeper relationship.”

And went on to underline the three key areas of trade, technology and security as those in which the UK seeks to develop deeper ties with Israel.

Israel is a “huge technological innovator”, Ms Truss added, emphasising that the UK seeks to “work with like-minded allies like Israel” to further deepen technological ties.