Why Theresa May and Benjamin Netanyahu could be the most important diplomatic relationship for post-Brexit Britain

The meeting between the British and Israeli Prime Ministers will be a reassuring sight to British Jews, as last year saw the largest ever recorded number of anti-Semitic incidents in the UK

Theresa May shaking hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Netanyahu arrived for a meeting at 10 Downing Street in central London (Getty)

In a world of chaos, it’s reassuring to hold on to the familiar. Prime Minister May, who supported the UK remaining in Europe, now finds herself overseeing the unprecedented departure from the EU. If that wasn’t enough, the leader of the free world is now a man who can most charitably be described as “unpredictable.” So amidst all the change, this week May will have the chance to reaffirm one of our strongest relationships.

Monday saw the first meeting since May became Prime Minister with her Israeli counter-part, Benjamin Netanyahu. Supporters of Israel like to highlight the liberal, democratic, and multicultural status of the world’s only Jewish-majority state as a big part of why that relationship endures so well. Freedom House’s latest report on the state of the world once again classed Israel as the only ‘Free’ state in the Middle East, unlike some of the other actors in the region we do business with.

But shared values will only be part of the equation. Both sides have much to gain from our positive relations – especially post-Brexit UK, which is looking to not only make new trade partners, but also strengthen existing ones. Over the last few years, trade between here and Israel has increased dramatically. To give just one example, around one in seven drugs used in the NHS are provided by the Israeli firm Teva – saving us both pounds and lives.

Another key conversation will be security, with Israel arguably being the world leader in combating terrorism – a silver lining of having its society “stress tested” by decades of indiscriminate attacks against its civilians. While we might be leaving the EU, we are still part of Europe – a continent now facing the constant threat of Isis-inspired murderers. It will surely come as some relief to May that Netanyahu will be able to honestly tell her from personal experience that a state can face these terrifying “lone wolf” attacks and survive – democracy and liberty intact.

That’s not to say that the governments of the day will see eye-to-eye on every issue. Theresa May will have raised the issue of settlements, which are regarded by the British Government as an impediment to peace. Netanyahu will have wanted to concentrate on the threat posed by Iran to both Israel and the rest of region – at odds again with the official UK line, which endorsed Obama’s Iranian nuclear deal. But these are ongoing disagreements between friends which will pale in comparison to the aforementioned wider mutual benefits.

The meeting will be a reassuring sight to British Jews as well. Last year saw the largest ever recorded total for anti-Semitic incidents in the UK by the CST, the charity that monitors and tackles anti-Jewish prejudice here. Of course, criticism of Israel is rightly not included in those statistics. But the reported ongoing scandal in the Labour Party has simply reaffirmed the belief that there is an undeniable connection between hatred of the Jewish state and hatred of the Jewish people. Irrespective of where they stand on this particular government, they will welcome its head of state being treated with the courtesy and respect such an important ally deserves – especially in the centenary year of the Balfour Declaration.

Arieh Miller is the Executive Director of the Zionist Federation