Yesterday, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council met with the Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP.
The meeting was an opportunity to discuss global affairs including their impact on the Jewish community here and around the world. We called for robust action in relation to the threat from Iran who have been directly involved in targeting Jewish locations in the UK.
As part of this, we reiterated the need for the government to move with urgency to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. The Foreign Secretary was questioned on the UK’s role in the nomination of Iran to the UN’s Committee for Programme and Coordination which she agreed to look into.
Discussing the UK’s role in combatting antisemitism internationally, we made clear our dismay at the decision to downgrade the UK’s position on Item 7 at the UN. It was positive to hear of work underway with allies to coordinate in the fight against antisemitism. Communal representatives called on the Foreign Secretary to engage constructively on the conflict in Lebanon and to not lose sight of the considerable threat Hezbollah continues to pose to our friends and family in Israel. We were pleased to hear the Foreign Secretary has been giving encouragement to the US-led Israel and Lebanon talks.
Given the decision, opposed by the JLC and Board, to recognise a Palestinian State, we pressed the Foreign Secretary on the remaining concerns regarding the role of the Palestinian Authority in incitement within the school curriculum and payments to the families of terrorists. With the ceasefire holding in Gaza, we shared our desire to see the disarmament of Hamas and an improvement in relations between the UK and Israel, which we believe will benefit the citizens of both countries.
We thank the Foreign Secretary for meeting with us and will continue to engage with her and her department on these matters. The delegation was led by Phil Rosenberg, President of the Board of Deputies, and Keith Black, Chair of the Jewish Leadership Council. Also in attendance were:
• Adrian Cohen, Senior Vice President of the Board of Deputies
• Debbie Fox, Interim CEO of the JLC
• Michael Wegier, CEO of the Board of Deputies
• Russell Langer, Director of Public Affairs of the JLC