Yossi Mekelberg

By : Yossi Mekelberg

The Israeli Prime Minister arrived last week to meet his British counterpart Theresa May with a clear agenda of addressing certain issues, while making the utmost effort to sweep any discussion of Jewish settlement expansion in the West Bank under the carpet.

It was a warm-up for his visit to Washington later this week. Iran and its adverse impact in the region and a demand to stop any threat of BDS, were on his agenda and topped the list of discussions with the British leader. It was a continuation of his recent defiance, ignoring what is of grave concern for the entire international community. He has convinced himself that Israel’s standing in the world is better than ever, and that the international criticism of the entrenchment of the occupation, the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, and the blockade on Gaza are not more than lip service.

Donald Trump’s unexpected triumph in the US elections gave this version of reality a strong tailwind. In his complacency he believes that his country’s military power and its economic and innovation prowess, combined with a region ravaged with conflict and discord, will leave international pressures to advance a course of just peace with the Palestinians inconsequential.

To an extent it is hard to blame him for his disregard of the international community, considering that he and his government have not been held accountable for turning the possibility of a two-state solution into a fast fading one. However, on his visits abroad he discovers that even friends will strongly remind him of their objection to the building of more homes for Jewish settlers in the West Bank. Last week’s visit to the UK and his meeting with its Prime Minister was another example of this. On most fronts relations between the UK and Israel are probably stronger than ever. The volume of trade is growing steadily in both directions. The cooperation between the hi-tech and pharmaceutical industries in both countries, let alone military and intelligence collaboration, has reached unprecedented levels.

Netanyahu may have encountered a more sympathetic May on the issue of Iranian’s increasingly aggressive stance in the region, were it not for his hyperbolic assertion that “Iran seeks to annihilate Israel.”

Yossi Mekelberg

Nevertheless, this did not stop the British prime minister from expressing her dismay at the unrelenting expansion of settlements. May was also highly critical of the most recent bill that passed three readings in the Israeli parliament, which aims to retrospectively legalize Israeli so-called outposts. Many of these outposts illegally appropriate land that belongs to Palestinians.

Though not present at their meeting, Trump was there in spirit. Out of necessity, in a Brexit UK, May feels the need to align with the new administration in Washington. Netanyahu on the other hand, rather frighteningly shares quite a few characteristics and worldview with the new US president. May and Netanyahu find themselves in the minority of world leaders who pander to the erratic and unpredictable Trump.

After eight years of constant wrangling with the Obama administration, Netanyahu is convinced that at long last he has found his soul mate on the Palestinian and Iranian issues. He did not find the British prime minister forthcoming on either of these issues, and he is unlikely to find other European leaders who are ready to set out on a collision course with Iran or turn a blind eye to the building of thousands of new homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied territories.

He may have encountered a more sympathetic May on the issue of Iranian’s increasingly aggressive stance in the region, were it not for his hyperbolic assertion that “Iran seeks to annihilate Israel it seeks to conquer the Middle East, it threatens Europe, it threatens the west, and it threatens the world.” Whereas very few would contest that Iran is aggressively meddling with affairs in places such as Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and the Gulf, not many in Europe would subscribe to the language of annihilation and world domination by the Iranians. Europe tends to see the nuclear agreement as an instrument to pacify Iran, which in the meantime creates an opportunity to advance multi-million dollar deals.

Short of mistiming his arrival to the British Prime Minister’s official residence in Downing Street, which left him waiting outside the door for a few minutes, the visit went according to the script. Both sides had the opportunity to express their differences without risking a major fall out. Their decision not to hold a joint press conference indicated a preference to avoid public confrontation over areas of disagreement. As the meeting concluded, it was time for Netanyahu to return home to try to salvage his premiership, and for May to continue her unfortunate Brexit debacle.

Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations at Regent’s University London, where he is head of the International Relations and Social Sciences Program. He is also an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He is a regular contributor to the international written and electronic media.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in the Column section are their own and do not reflect RiyadhVision’s point-of-view.

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