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Farage tells Israeli Foreign Minister Reform UK would ‘undo damage caused by Labour’
Gideon Sa'ar and Nigel Farage spoke in the wake of the government's decision to sanction West Bank settlements
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has described a call with Nigel Farage as a “great conversation”, saying that the Reform UK leader had told him that in government his party “would reverse the damage done to the UK-Israel relationship by the Labour Government and its policies.”
The conversation between Sa’ar, who is part of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, and Farage came after the British government’s announcement on Tuesday of the implementation of sanctions on West Bank goods. Announcing the move, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband condemned the actions of Israeli settlers in Judea and Samaria, as well as the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza. The Israeli government strongly criticised the move, and retaliated by the announcing the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem.
Sa’ar described how he had thanked Farage “for his and his party’s support for Israel. He told me he was pleased to have addressed the Reform Friends of Israel event at the party conference in Birmingham last week”. The Israeli politician also said the Reform UK leader had “assured me unequivocally” that his party would roll back what Labour had done, were it to gain power.
In response, Farage said he had been “pleased to speak” to Sa’ar and “a Reform government would undo the damage caused by Labour.” In an apparent reference to statements made by Israel’s security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son, Yair, calling for Israel to recognise the Falklands as Argentine, Farage said he had “emphasised the Falklands issue to him and its importance to the British people, though I understand Israel’s relationship with [Argentina’s] President Milei.”
Commenting on the government’s sanctions decision, Reform Friends of Israel said it “represents another serious deterioration in Britain’s relationship with one of our most important democratic and security partners in the Middle East.
“Britain is entitled to disagree with decisions taken by the Israeli Government. But economic sanctions and boycotts are a poor substitute for serious diplomacy — particularly when announced in the middle of an Israeli election campaign.
“At a time of profound instability across the Middle East, Britain should be strengthening cooperation with Israel in trade, technology, intelligence and security, while using the influence that comes with a strong relationship to advance peace and stability.”
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