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The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
UK trade envoy's visit to Israel one week after talks suspended sparks criticism
The coherence of the UK government's policy towards Israel is under question after Labour permitted its trade envoy to boost commercial links one week after the foreign secretary suspended talks on a further trade deal. The trade envoy, Lord Austin, was pictured on a visit to Haifa in a post on X shared by the UK's embassy in Israel. The post welcomed Austin to the country as he visited a hi-tech 'customs scanning centre', a port and a light rail project that the embassy said showed UK and Israeli 'cooperation at every stop'. David Lammy last week had described Israel's behaviour in Gaza as 'monstrous and extremist'. In a signal of his disapproval, welcomed by most Labour MPs, the foreign secretary suspended new trade talks and launched a review into a pre-existing high-level strategic cooperation roadmap with Israel. One mainstream Labour MP said: 'There is a large group of Labour MPs who are furious this has been allowed to happen after the progress made last week. Austin needs to be fired immediately, the department of business and trade response is completely unacceptable.' Another MP said 'this is not about mixed, but garbled messaging'. Great to welcome @LordIanAustin to Haifa!In a day full of innovation by the Carmel, the UK Trade Envoy to Israel visited the cutting-edge Customs Scanning Centre, Haifa Bayport, the Haifa–Nazareth Light Rail project, and the Technion - witnessing 🇬🇧–🇮🇱 cooperation at every stop Palestinian groups also called for the trade envoy, a former Labour MP, but appointed as an independent peer by the Conservatives, to be sacked on the grounds that he has never agreed with Labour government's policy towards Israel. However, Austin's visit was not a independent operation and instead was conducted with the approval and cooperation of government officials. It did not seem to occur to the Department for Business and Trade that the fierce signals of disapproval sent out by the Foreign Office last week were so strong that it would at least be advisable to postpone Austin's visit. The department insisted there was no contradiction between suspending talks on a new expanded free trade deal and continuing to promote trade links under the existing trade deal. Austin, a fierce campaigner against antisemitism in the UK, had been appointed trade envoy by the previous Conservative government, and his reappointment by Labour led to protests among mainstream pro-Palestinian MPs, and campaign groups. Pete Malynn, executive director of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East, in February this year wrote privately to the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, to express the group's dismay at Austin's appointment, saying 'it sends entirely the wrong message about the government's priorities in the region, calls into question its strategic direction and emboldens those who seek to undermine and criticise the government'. The letter pointed out that Austin did not regard Gaza as occupied for the past 18 years, referred to the UN's Palestinian relief agency Unrwa as terrorists, opposed the UK's suspension of arms sales to Israel and said it was 'factually wrong' to claim the West Bank was being concreted over by Israeli settlers. The letter also pointed out that Austin had written to voters in key swing seats in the 2019 election urging them to vote for Boris Johnson. At the time Austin was vehemently opposed to abour's approach to antisemitism and extremism under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion No reply to the letter was received by the group. Austin will be in Israel until Friday but does not have any scheduled meetings with Israeli officials, people familiar with the trip said, focusing instead on meeting with businesses. On social media he said: 'I'm here to meet businesses & officials to promote trade with the UK. Trade with Israel provides many thousands of good jobs in the UK and brings people together in the great multicultural democracy that is Israel'. He also wrote a Politics Home article before his visit, in which he said: 'I'll be visiting Israel next week to show our support and solidarity and to drum up business for Britain.'. He added: 'The relationship with Israel is worth billions and brings massive benefits to Britain. It is in our national interest, and the decision this week by the government to pause negotiations on a new free trade Agreement does not change that.' Austin did not directly criticise the suspension of the free trade talks, but warned: 'We live in a competitive world, so let's hope other countries don't steal a march and grab these opportunities. Other countries must surely be looking on and wondering whether their relations with the UK could be jeopardised by political campaigns.' The Foreign Office has been asked if the foreign secretary gave prior approval for the visit.
LBCI
5 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
PM Salam to Sky News Arabia: The region has had enough of US-Iranian polarization
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the Middle East has grown weary of the ongoing geopolitical polarization between the United States and Iran, expressing hope that Arab countries will re-engage with Lebanon, just as Lebanon is seeking to reconnect with the Arab world. In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Salam said Arab nations and Lebanon's international allies had lost faith in the country but emphasized that the current government is working "day and night" to regain that trust. Salam also said efforts are underway to make Lebanon attractive to Arab investors again, and that work is being done to create the right conditions for Lebanese exports to resume to Saudi Arabia. On the political front, he criticized the selective implementation of the 1989 Taif Agreement, which ended Lebanon's civil war and laid the groundwork for the current political system. "It was applied selectively, which ruined the political process. We must complete the implementation of what hasn't yet been applied," he noted. Addressing Lebanon's most sensitive security concern, Salam reiterated the government's position that no weapons should remain outside state authority. "We will not remain silent on the existence of any arms outside the control of the state," he stated. Speaking on the issue of armed Palestinian groups in refugee camps, Salam warned that such weapons could spark intra-Palestinian or Palestinian-Lebanese strife. He emphasized that the strength of the Palestinian cause today lies not in arms but in growing international recognition and diplomacy. "We are trying to put the country on a new path," Salam added. "I cannot predict where this path will lead us, but we are moving in a new direction."
Jordan Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
Israeli settlers storm Al Aqsa Mosque under heavy police protection — Waqf Department
By JT - May 19,2025 - Last updated at May 19,2025 The Old City of Jerusalem with the Dome of the Rock (right) and Al Aqsa Mosque (left) (AFP photo) AMMAN — Dozens of extremist Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of the Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif compound in occupied Jerusalem on Monday, entering through the Mughrabi Gate under tight protection from Israeli occupation forces. The Jerusalem Waqf and Al Aqsa Mosque Affairs Departmentsaid in a statement, cited by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the settlers conducted 'provocative' tours throughout the mosque compound and performed Talmudic rituals in its eastern section. Israeli forces continued to restrict access for Palestinian worshippers to the holy site, the department said, imposing heightened security the mosque's entrances and Palestinian groups have intensified calls for mass mobilisation and continued presence at Al-Aqsa Mosque in response to what they describe as ongoing efforts by settler organisations and Israeli authorities to impose control over the holy site and advance plans to build the alleged 'temple' in place of the mosque, according to Petra. These calls come ahead of the upcoming 'Jerusalem Day' on May 26, when far-right groups are expected to increase visits to the site. The mosque compound has remained under heightened Israeli restrictions since October 7, with security forces limiting Muslim access, erecting metal barriers, and detaining worshippers attempting to enter, Petra said.
Jordan Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
Israeli settlers storm Al Aqsa Mosque under heavy police protection
The Old City of Jerusalem with the Dome of the Rock (right) and Al Aqsa Mosque (left) (AFP photo) AMMAN — Dozens of extremist Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of the Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif compound in occupied Jerusalem on Monday, entering through the Mughrabi Gate under tight protection from Israeli occupation forces. The Jerusalem Waqf and Al Aqsa Mosque Affairs Departmentsaid in a statement, cited by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the settlers conducted 'provocative' tours throughout the mosque compound and performed Talmudic rituals in its eastern section. Israeli forces continued to restrict access for Palestinian worshippers to the holy site, the department said, imposing heightened security the mosque's entrances and Palestinian groups have intensified calls for mass mobilisation and continued presence at Al-Aqsa Mosque in response to what they describe as ongoing efforts by settler organisations and Israeli authorities to impose control over the holy site and advance plans to build the alleged 'temple' in place of the mosque, according to Petra. These calls come ahead of the upcoming 'Jerusalem Day' on May 26, when far-right groups are expected to increase visits to the site. The mosque compound has remained under heightened Israeli restrictions since October 7, with security forces limiting Muslim access, erecting metal barriers, and detaining worshippers attempting to enter, Petra said.
