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UK Chief of Staff visits Israel

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The Chief of the Defence Staff of the British Armed Forces, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, arrived in Israel yesterday for talks with IDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Gadi Eizenkot.

A spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces said:  “Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach and Lieutenant General Gadi Eizenkot will hold strategic discussions regarding ongoing shared threats as well opportunities for future cooperation,” and that “the visit is a symbol of the strategic bonds between our armed forces”. Their discussions are likely to include support for common allies such as Jordan and Egypt, countering the threat from ISIS and ongoing intelligence sharing and cooperation in the development of new military technology.

Israel shares a number of advanced surveillance systems with the UK and when former Prime Minister David Cameron visited the Knesset in 2014 he praised UK-Israel defence cooperation, saying that “Israel’s technology is protecting British and NATO troops in Afghanistan”.

Sir Stuart will take over as chairman of NATO’s military committee next year. Israel is a NATO partner country and a member of NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue since it was initiated in 1994. Last year Israel opened a diplomatic mission at the NATO HQ.

Sir Stuart joined the RAF in 1977.  He was NATO air commander in Kosovo in 2000 and served as director-general of intelligence in the Ministry of Defence between 2003 and 2006, holding the titles of Chief of Defence Intelligence and Deputy Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee from 2006 to 2009. In 2011, Sir Stuart commanded the UK’s intervention in Libya. He held the position of Vice Chief of the Defence Staff from 2013 to 2016 before assuming the role of Chief of the Defence Staff in 2016.