Yair Lapid set for snap London visit to push UK government on Iran
Israeli foreign minister will hold talks with Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, as well as with Emmanuel Macron in Paris
Michael Daventry is Jewish News’s foreign and broadcast editor
Israel’s foreign minister Yair Lapid is to visit London next week as part of a snap tour as world powers move closer towards a nuclear agreement with Iran.
Lapid will meet Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss during the trip, which begins this Sunday afternoon.
He will also visit Paris for talks with Emmanuel Macron and Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Minister for Europe & Foreign Affairs.
A statement from the Israeli foreign ministry said: “The Minister’s visit will focus on the resumption of nuclear talks in Vienna as well as the deepening of bilateral relations between Israel and Britain and France.”
Negotiations between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Britain, are due to start again in Vienna next week.
Israel fiercely opposed the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by former US president Barack Obama and welcomed Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from it.
Officials have been campaigning publicly and behind the scenes to thwart a new deal.
“Israel is very concerned that the US is setting the stage for what they call a ‘less for less’ agreement,” one unnamed senior Israeli official told the Times of Israel, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Such an agreement would be detrimental and would only benefit the Iranian regime.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
