BICOM

On 21 August, BICOM published a preview of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to the UK, setting out details of the issues being addressed in his meetings. This briefing reviews the preliminary outcomes of the visit.

Key Points

• Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s meetings in the UK focused on moving forward the peace process and addressing the threat posed by Iran.
• Gordon Brown impressed on Netanyahu the need to halt settlement construction but also expressed satisfaction with Israeli commitment on the peace process. He also renewed British commitment to tackling Iranian nuclear ambitions.
• With regard to the meeting between Netanyahu and US envoy George Mitchell, the two sides were keen to project a positive atmosphere. Progress appears to have been made towards a temporary settlement freeze but a deal is yet to be finalised.

The UK-Israel bilateral agenda

• The meeting on Tuesday was significant firstly in that it was Netanyahu’s first meeting with Gordon Brown since becoming prime minister. Brown took the opportunity to reaffirm that ‘the United Kingdom will always remain a strong friend of Israel.’
• With regard to the peace process, Netanyahu stressed to Brown Israel’s commitment to reaching an agreement that will establish ‘a demilitarised Palestinian state that recognises the Jewish state.’ He also set out the steps Israel is currently taking on the ground to improve the Palestinian economy, and received an endorsement from Brown for those efforts. Brown impressed on Netanyahu the importance of a settlement freeze but struck a positive note, saying: ‘I’m increasingly confident… that there is a genuine will to make progress; that a freeze in such activity would result in meaningful steps towards normalisation from Arab states.’ Netanyahu was keen to stress that ‘Jerusalem is not a settlement’, suggesting that he will not accept it as part of a deal on a settlement freeze.
• With regard to Iran, Netanyahu stressed to Brown the need to increase sanctions to force Iran to curb its nuclear programme and Brown agreed that without immediate progress, ‘the world will have to look at stepping up sanctions against Iran as a matter of priority.’

Full transcript of their joint press conference can be read here.

 The US-Israel talks

• Netanyahu and US envoy George Mitchell held detailed talks on Wednesday on halting Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and relaunching bilateral talks between Israel and the Palestinians. There has been an ongoing dialogue between Israel and the US on this issue since Netanyahu became prime minister at the end of March. At the same time, the US has been trying to persuade Arab states to respond to Israel with reciprocal confidence-building measures such as steps towards normalisation.
• Israeli policy is not to build new settlements nor to acquire more land for existing settlements. At the same time, it has argued for the right to continue constructing buildings and infrastructure for existing communities.
• Further progress appears to have been made towards an agreement for a temporary settlement freeze but a deal has not yet been finalised. According to reports, it was agreed that Israeli officials Yitzhak Molcho and Mike Herzog will travel to Washington next week. Molcho is a lawyer and close personal aide to the prime minister, whilst Herzog is an experienced senior military official in the Ministry of Defence.
• A joint statement issued after the meeting stated that the two sides ‘agreed on the importance of restarting meaningful negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians and working toward a comprehensive peace, and that all sides need to take concrete steps toward peace.’

The joint statement can be read here.

What will happen next?

• The next milestone on the Iran agenda will be the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) quarterly board meeting taking place on 7-11 September in Vienna. This meeting will provide an opportunity to further pressure Iran over its failure to comply with its Non-proliferation Treaty commitments. President Obama has defined the G20 meeting, taking place in Pittsburgh on 24-25 September, as the point at which Iran’s intentions with regard to engagement will be measured.
• With regard to the peace process, the apparent plan is to reach understandings before world leaders gather for the annual UN General Assembly, beginning on 15 September in New York. This would be an opportunity for Obama to announce the relaunching of peace talks and to coordinate a meeting between Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. There have been press reports of a possible international peace conference to follow.