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FREE WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR 18 August 2022
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21 Av 5782
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Issue No.1276
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@JewishNewsUK
Poignant victory for Israel Marathon men win gold in Munich, 50 years after Olympics massacre
Sunak joins Truss to mull Jerusalem move
Historic embassy relocation on the table in race for No 10 Rishi Sunak has insisted there is a “very strong case” for Britain to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and he is “very open to looking at that” – a move that would pave the way for the UK to follow America in moving its embassy. The former chancellor’s remarks at a Conservative Friends of Israel leadership event come less than two weeks after his rival Liz Truss committed to “review” the embassy’s current location in Tel Aviv. He was asked by Lord Pickles, the parliamentary chair of CFI, about what he saw as the “basic obstacles” to Britain recognising Jerusalem as the country’s capital. While describing Jerusalem as “indisputably the historic capital” in his view, he added: “Having not been foreign secretary, there must be some sensitivities involved because if it was
that easy, it would have been done by now. I’d like to get in there and [understand] the reasons why its proved so difficult, but prima facie it seems to me that there is a very strong case to it, to recognise what is a historic and practical step.” He added that any such a move would be in concert with allies in the region. Asked about Iran, and an earlier pledge to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, especially after the stabbing of author Salman Rushdie, Sunak said: “It seems an entirely reasonable position, that if we proscribe Hezbollah and Hamas then the parent organisation is also…, there’s an argument for proscribing it.”
He added: “Iran is a major threat. It’s not just about their missile programme, we have got to put snap sanctions on the table. We have to recognise the threat they pose in supporting terrorism and its something I said at the weekend given what happened with Salman Rushdie … where is this from, it’s from a fatwa that is there. ” On the possible signing of a nuclear deal with Iran, he believed the prospects were “low.” The former cabinet minister, one of the first to leave Boris Johnson’s top team, said: “It’s not just about Joe Biden, it’s about
Congress as well, and the Republicans have a very clear point of view on this.” In a wide-ranging conversation, Sunak said he’d like to pass legislation opposing BDS “as quickly as possible”, saying “it shouldn’t be controversial”. In wholeheartedly backing the new proposed Holocaust memorial in Westminster, he stressed the importance of education in tackling antisemitism. He then added: “I was pleased as chancellor to ensure that the funding in perpetuity will be for people to be able to visit it free. The people that are still here who we can still hear from are not going to be with us forever. That’s why the next generation and the generation beyond, my two girls, need to understand what happened. Continued on page 2