Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to embark on a two-day visit to the United Kingdom, where he is set to meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May for the first time since she took office. The meeting comes after Britain supported UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which defined all Israeli construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank as illegal. Moreover, London took an active role in forming the content behind the anti-settlements Resolution, and lobbied the voting delegations on its behalf.
Nevertheless, Britain appeared to backtrack on its position by strongly condemning the former US Secretary of State John Kerry for his statement, which labeled Israeli settlements as the main obstacle to peace. A spokesman for May said after the speech that it was clear that the settlements were far from the only problem in the conflict, adding that Kerry’ assertion that the current Israeli government is the most right-wing it has ever been was inappropriate, stressing that the UK does not believe that it is appropriate to attack the composition of a democratically-elected government of an ally.
The meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and his British counterpart also comes following a recent meeting between Theresa May and US President Donald Trump, during which the two signaled an expected strengthening bilateral relations between the two powers, a reality Israeli diplomatic officials told TV7 heralds a fruitful future for Jerusalem as well.