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Britain's New Prime Minister Should Acknowledge Jerusalem as Israel's Capital

(Spectator-UK) Stephen Daisley - Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss had vowed to review the location of the British embassy in Israel, which is still based in Tel Aviv, despite Israel proclaiming Jerusalem its capital in December 1949 and placing its parliament, government and Supreme Court there. We pretend that Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel. By withholding recognition of Jerusalem, we tell ourselves that the UK is advancing the cause of peace. Recognizing Jerusalem is not about what Israel or the Palestinians want. It is about what UK foreign policy ought to be. Some might argue that it is in our interests to be scrupulously even-handed, but the fact is that we are not neutral at present. The UK government refuses to acknowledge Israeli sovereignty in any part of Jerusalem, while defining East Jerusalem as part of the "Occupied Palestinian Territories." We have intervened in the conflict to say that East Jerusalem belongs to the Palestinians and West Jerusalem is up for debate. Does upholding the failed status quo on Jerusalem advance or hinder our material interests? Israeli companies support thousands of jobs in the UK. London, Scotland and the north-west alone sell half a billion in goods to Israel every year. Israeli pharmaceutical giant Teva provides one in every six medicines prescribed on the NHS. Mossad has supplied us with information that has helped break up terrorist cells in London. It is plain where our interests lie.
2022-10-31 00:00:00
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