Benjamin Netanyahu to visit UK next week during whistlestop European tour

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is embarking on a whistlestop tour of European capitals next week, concluding with talks with Theresa May in Downing Street.

Announcing his trip in the Knesset, the prime minister said he planned to tell Mrs May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, of the dangers posed by Iran and its nuclear aspirations. He is making his tour in the wake of the controversial cancellation of the Iran deal by US President Trump, a move applauded by Israel but not by the European leaders, who have all said they plan to stand by the terms of the Obama-brokered deal.

Mr Netanyahu said: “I will present our positions as clearly as possible. We are well experienced. For years we stood alone against these twin threats and I think the situation has changed for the better”

He added that he would tell the leaders that there was “no room.for any Iranian military presence anywhere in Syria” That was not just Israel’s position, Mr Netanyahu claimed: “I can say with certainty that it also reflects the positions of others in the Middle East and outside it”