Netanyahu meets British prime minister in London, focuses on Iran threat

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to London early Friday to discuss Iran’s nuclear trajectory with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The prime ministers will reportedly discuss the Iranian threat in the context of Israel and the United Kingdom’s shared security and economic interests.

“At the center of their meeting will stand the Iranian issue and the need to form a unified international front against Iran with the goal of stopping the nuclear program,” according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

Netanyahu and Sunak’s meeting was scheduled just a few days after the two nations’ foreign ministers met on Wednesday to sign the “2030 roadmap for UK-Israel bilateral relations.”

This trip marks the first time the Israeli prime minister has met with Sunak in London since Netanyahu’s re-election in December.

Sunak, leader of the UK’s Conservative Party who became prime minister last October, has made since made several strong pro-Israel statements.

During a Conservative Friends of Israel event prior to Sunak’s election, the would-be premier said Jerusalem is “undisputedly the historic capital” of Israel and that “there’s a very strong case for it to be recognized … so it is something I would like to do.”

“You will have my total commitment that I will fight very hard for the security of people in Israel,” Sunak told those present.

Netanyahu’s London meeting follows a series of trips by the prime minister throughout Europe, where he has met with the leaders of France, Italy and Germany in their respective capitals over the past few weeks.