Boris Johnson to visit Israel next week

Britain's foreign secretary will visit the Jewish state next week, after previous trips for Shimon Peres's funeral and as Mayor of London

Boris Johnson will visit Israel next week for his first full trip since becoming foreign secretary.

The former mayor will hold high-level meetings in Jerusalem during the tour, which comes six months after he attended Shimon Peres’ funeral.

The foreign secretary also proved a hit in Israel when he led a trade mission to the country in the final stages of his time at City Hall. His colourful denunciation of boycotts was applauded by Israel’s supporters but led to the cancellation of meetings in the West Bank.

The UK’s policy towards Israel has come under close attention in recent months after the UK reportedly took a leading role in pushing for a UN resolution against settlements and then led in refusing to sign a communique at the end of an international gathering in Paris that had been roundly condemned by Israel.

Simon Johnson, Chief Executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, said: “The JLC welcomes the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Boris Johnson’s, upcoming visit to Israel. Many ties exist between Israel and the UK, and it is correct that the Foreign Secretary works to further them.

“As Mayor Of London, he positively engaged with the state of Israel and the Israeli people many times. Following the UN Resolution 2334, the UK has worked to rebuild ties with Israel. It is an unsettled period for the region as a whole and it is our hope that the Secretary of State will work to stabilise the region as well as seek to maintain good trade relations between Israel and the UK.”