The United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister Liz Truss is a friend of Israel, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said after her victory was announced on Monday.
“I congratulate my new friend, a true friend of Israel Liz Truss, who was elected prime minister of Great Britain,” Lapid said.
The UK and Israel are united by a shared “commitment to freedom and a joint vision for a better future,” the prime minister said. “I expect to continue working together for our countries and for our security.”
Lapid and Truss have built a good working relationship since they overlapped as their countries’ foreign ministers, signing a strategic plan involving cybersecurity and other technological cooperation, as well as trade and defense.
While the UK’s policy is to support negotiations with Iran toward a nuclear deal, sources close to Lapid have said that Truss, as foreign secretary, has shown an understanding of the threat that Tehran poses to the Jewish state and is closer to Israel’s view on Iran’s prevarications in the talks.
During her election campaign, Truss wrote in a letter to Conservative Friends of Israel that said she would consider moving the British Embassy to Jerusalem.
“I understand the importance and sensitivity of the location of the British Embassy in Israel,” she wrote. “I’ve had many conversations with my good friend... Lapid on this topic. Acknowledging that, I will review a move to ensure we are operating on the strongest footing within Israel.”
Truss also supported the UK’s move to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization.
“I congratulate my new friend, a true friend of Israel Liz Truss, who was elected prime minister of Great Britain.”
Prime Minister Yair Lapid
As international trade secretary, Truss prioritized a free-trade deal with Israel, as the UK was working on many such agreements post-Brexit.
Lord Stuart Polak, honorary president of Conservative Friends of Israel, said earlier this year that Truss was “outstanding at the Foreign Office.”
“She challenged a lot of their positions and proved herself to be a very good friend and built a very good relationship with Lapid in a short time,” he said.
“As foreign secretary, [Truss] moved the dial in terms of understanding Israel’s relationship with the UK,” Polak added.