UPDATES WITH DETAILS FROM ONE-TO-ONE MEETING, REVISES SPOT, EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal
LONDON (AA) - Israel’s premier used his visit to London on Monday to urge British Prime Minister Theresa May to follow the U.S. in imposing sanctions on Iran.
Benjamin Netanyahu said he welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach after Tehran recently test-fired a ballistic missile.
The Israeli leader said: “Iran seeks to annihilate Israel. It says so openly. It seeks to conquer the Middle East.
“It threatens Europe; it threatens the West; it threatens the world. And it offers provocation after provocation.
“That's why I welcome President Trump's insistence on new sanctions against Iran. I think other nations should follow soon, certainly responsible nations.”
“On Iran, the Prime Minister [Theresa May] was clear that the nuclear deal is vital and must be properly enforced and policed, while recognising concerns about Iran’s pattern of destabilising activity in the region, said a U.K. government statement issued following the meeting.
It said the leaders “also talked about the Middle East Peace Process and the UK’s firm commitment to a 2-state solution as the best way to bring stability and peace to the region.”
“The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s opposition to settlement activity,” it added.
U.K.-Israel relations were shaken recently by the May government's condemnation of Israel's settlement policies and by a scandal caused after an Israeli embassy official was secretly filmed plotting against some British politicians.
Outside the two leaders’ meeting, a pro-Palestinian group held a rally under tight security.
One demonstrator told Anadolu Agency: “The British regime said something about the illegal settlements at the very least in the West Bank and so on because it is illegal in international law."
“They should be taking more action. They take plenty of action against places like Iran and Syria and so on," he added.
Zaher Birawi, another protester, said the Israeli premier’s visit was "against the values of our society".
"We are calling for Netanyahu to be labelled, accountable for what he has done against the Palestinians during his time as a prime minister or as a part of the government," he added.
May and Netanyahu also “discussed their shared belief in free trade and agreed to establish a new UK-Israel Trade Working Group to continue the progress we have seen in our burgeoning trade and investment relationship, and to prepare the ground for a post-Brexit trade agreement,” the statement said.