Iran will be a key point of discussion in President Isaac Herzog’s meetings with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and British parliamentarians, during his three-day state visit to England.
Prior to leaving Israel for London with his wife Michal on Sunday, Herzog said that “Israel cannot allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons capability and it expects its allies to be tough and assertive toward the Iranians. Israel makes this position clear to all its friends and of course makes it clear that it reserves all options to defend itself.”
Herzog also commended the British Government’s decision to list Hamas as a terrorist organization with all that this entails, and declared the British policy to be “a supremely important step in the war on terror.”
Herzog was hopeful that other European countries will follow Britain’s example.
Herzog’s scheduled meeting with Prince Charles should be fruitful. It follows the heir to the throne’s return from a four-day visit to Jordan and Egypt.
Herzog was in Jordan recently and met secretly with King Abdullah II. Long before that he visited Egypt where his mother was born.
Herzog’s father Chaim and the prince’s father, the Duke of Edinburgh, served in the British armed forces in the Second World War, Herzog was an army officer and Prince Philip as an officer in the Royal Navy.
The president and the prince will also discuss a subject close to both their hearts, how to cope with the crisis of global warming and climate change.
Prince Charles has spoken on the subject many times in recent years, and Herzog recently established a special climate forum.
Herzog, who is a former chairman of the Israel Labor Party, will meet with former British colleagues, and with leaders of the Jewish community, though the main purpose of his visit will be to pay tribute to the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, at a memorial event hosted by the Genesis Foundation. He was also due on the day of his arrival to visit the Chelsea Football Club exhibition dedicated to Jewish athletes murdered in the Holocaust.