Finally, just before disembarking to the United Kingdom , Netanyahu released a video explaining that during his trip he will insist on full European support of Israel because Israel is “the only true protection Europe has in the Middle East against surging, extremist Islam”.
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Netanyahu, who travelled with his wife Sara, will meet with Cameron in the British capital to discuss “diplomatic, strategic and bilateral issues”, according to an official statement of the Israeli government.
While the government refused to arrest Netanyahu, it did recognize the “terrible toll” of the “conflict” in Gaza a year ago and affirmed its commitment to encouraging negotiations.
“The Middle East is disintegrating under the twin forces of militant Islam: The militant Sunnis led by ISIS and the militant Shiites led by Iran”, said Netanyahu as he began talks with Cameron at Downing Street.
Netanyahu has been a relentless and vocal opponent of the world powers’ agreement with Iran, putting him on a collision course with the U.S. President Barack Obama.
After a drawn-out confrontation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Iranian nuclear deal, the White House seems to have little appetite for what would nearly certainly be a new round of tensions with the Israeli leader over the terms of Palestinian statehood.
An online petition to parliament calling for Netanyahu’s arrest on arrival in Britain had attracted more than 108,000 supporters by Wednesday, forcing a parliamentary debate. British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond travelled to Israel in July in a bid to reassure Netanyahu’s government about the deal. Most of those not in detention live in poor areas of southern Tel Aviv, where there have been several protests against them.
“We’re here because we feel that Netanyahu should pay for his war crimes“, said 21-year-old student Marion Tehami.
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Last year, Tel Aviv launched a 50-day war on the besieged coastal territory, killing almost 22-hundred people, majority civilians. “I don’t expect anything to happen as he falls under Universal Jurisdiction which means he cannot be detained, but it sends a clear message the he is not welcome in the United Kingdom and that we haven’t forgotten”. But even compared to those quagmires, the century-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be truly a case apart.
