Liz Truss claims Foreign Office has tendency not to support Israel
Former PM and foreign secretary, promoting her new book, tells ITV's Robert Peston she believes David Cameron should show more backing
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss has claimed there is “a tendency to not support Israel as much as I would like in the Foreign Office.”
Speaking to ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston she also said she would like to see “more support for Israel” when asked about the stance of current foreign secretary Lord Cameron.
Truss said had advocated a more pro-Israel policy while foreign secretary and prime minister.
Truss claimed:”While I was Foreign Secretary, on some occasions, I had to actively intervene with officials to get them to vote in a more pro-Israel way, at the United Nations.
“So there definitely is a tendency to not support Israel as much as I would like in the Foreign Office. And I think that always needs to be challenged.”
Asked by Peston “Do you think that David Cameron, the current Foreign Secretary, is supportive enough of Israel?”
She replied: “I would like to see more support for Israel”
.@Peston: “Do you think that David Cameron, the current Foreign Secretary, is supportive enough of Israel?”@trussliz: “I would like to see more support for Israel”
The Former Prime Minister says she’s “concerned” the Foreign Office is “not wholly supportive of Israel”#Peston pic.twitter.com/SYqQPSBEpf
— Peston (@itvpeston) April 17, 2024
Also speaking to Peston on Wednesday was deputy foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell who said there was “no truth” to the claims about anti-Israel bias in the Foreign Office made by the ex-PM.
Truss has been speaking to the media ahead of the publication of her book: Ten Years to Save the West where she outlines her time in government as well as her wider political view on the future issues the UK and other countries face.
She recently made headlines by endorsing Donald Trump to win the US 2024 General Election saying the world was a safer place during Mr Trump’s previous term.
While doing her media tour Truss went as far as telling the BBC she did not “see a purpose for the UN as it stands.”
She said: “At present, it has been very ineffective at dealing with international situations, in fact positively damaging, for example, on Israel.”
While PM in 2022 Truss said she was considering relocating the U.K. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
But this plan was scrapped by Rishi Sunak after a backlash from faith leaders, pro-Palestine campaigners and MPs.
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