March 6, 2009
In News The Israel-Palestine Conflict
By Barak Ravid
Israel’s ambassador to Great Britain on Wednesday blasted London’s decision to cancel the transfer of its Tel Aviv embassy to a building owned by Africa-Israel because of the company’s role in building West Bank settlements.
Ambassador Ron Prosor told Haaretz the move represented “surrender to those who slander Israel.”
Prosor said Britain was engaging in “appeasement towards those who slander Israel. Such a policy doesn’t contribute anything to advancing a peace agreement in the Middle East.”
Prosor has been faced with a rising tide of delegitimization attempts from non-governmental organizations against Israel’s settlement construction in the West Bank. The U.K. government has also recently made efforts to remove British investments from settlement activity.
Prosor called London’s decision “absurd,” adding, “Diplomats in the British embassy in Tel Aviv are not expected to stop eating Israeli bread because it’s also marketed in the West Bank.”
“I also hope they don’t prevent British consumers from using Israeli medications because they’re also sold in pharmacies in Nablus and Jenin,” he added.
An Africa-Israel spokesman said yesterday the decision had serious implications not only for the company, but for the State of Israel itself.
“This is a national problem, as most of the major Israeli companies also operate in the West Bank.”