BICOM

The Home Secretary was among the top leaders from the UK, Israel and the US who addressed yesterday’s second BICOM – Jewish News Policy Conference in the Houses of Parliament, Westminster.

The conference focused on UK-Israel shared strategic challenges, with sessions on new thinking to achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians, the common threat of terrorism and the important role of high tech in bilateral relations.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd delivered a keynote address and warned that extremist and far-right groups are becoming “increasingly sophisticated”.

She emphasised that “In Britain … there is no place for hatred, no place for racist or religious hate crimes, and we will not ignore the threat to any community in this country”.

Ms Rudd also pledged increasing support “to provide security and reassurance to the Jewish community,” saying: “Sadly the Jewish community knows all too well the reality of having to live with the threat from terrorism and hate crime.”

Israel’s opposition leader, Zionist Union head and Labour Party leader Isaac Herzog addressed the conference via a live video link and among other topics, discussed the legalisation bill, currently going through the Knesset. He claimed this is “actually a bill over who is going to be the leader of the right,” Naftali Bennett or Benjamin Netanyahu.

Herzog added: “A small group within the coalition, which is based on the settlers movement of Jewish home, together with strong Likud elements, is causing the government to work on move on the legalisation bill which is adverse to all we know about the rule of law and international law. I understand the personal circumstances of the citizens of Amona, but the Supreme Court ruled unanimously two years ago that it must be evacuated as its on private Palestinian land, and we must abide by the ruling, with all the pain it entails.”

He also said there was “a general fatigue and disappointment with PM Netanyahu” and that there could be an increase in support and votes from the centre right to his and leader of Yesh Atid, Yair Lapid’s side of the spectrum “as people on that side of the political spectrum are fed up by what Netanyahu is pursuing”.

Herzog also underscored the importance of regional recognition of Israel, saying that once Arab countries “cross the Rubicon,” everything else can be solved. He said that there is a chance to make such progress with some of Israel’s Sunni neighbours, but that the current Israeli government was failing to grasp the opportunity.

Former US Middle East envoy Ambassador Dennis Ross discussed the impact of the Donald Trump presidency on Israel and the Middle East.

Ross said that Trump will face an exceptionally challenging region, given the war in Syria, reconstruction in Iraq, the challenge of Iran, the proxy battle between Tehran and Saudi Arabia and the continued absence of political process between Israel and the Palestinians. He emphasised that there is an increasing convergence of interests in the region, which could help in dealing with Iran and relations between Israel and the Palestinians.

The conference line up included Col. (Res.) Grisha Yakubovich, former Head of the Civil Department in the IDF’s COGAT unit, Koby Huberman, a high-tech veteran, business strategist and a civil society leader, Wendy Tan White, a General Partner at Entrepreneur First, the world’s leading company builder, Professor Jonathan Rynhold, a specialist in US-Israeli relations, and a number of high-profile academics, politicians and officials.