UK trade representative visits Israel after Britain suspends talks

A British commercialized envoy has visited Israel to "promote trade" betwixt the 2 countries - a week aft the UK suspended talks.

Lord Ian Austin, who is the UK government's commercialized envoy to Israel, was welcomed to Haifa connected Monday, conscionable days aft Foreign Secretary David Lammy paused negotiations.

The British Embassy successful Israel said Lord Austin had visited a fig of projects - specified arsenic the Customs Scanning Centre, Haifa Bayport, and the Haifa-Nazareth Light Rail task - to "witness co-operation astatine each stop".

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The autarkic adjacent said helium was visiting Israel to "meet businesses and officials to beforehand commercialized with the UK".

"Trade with Israel provides galore thousands of bully jobs successful the UK and brings radical unneurotic successful the large multi-cultural ideology that is Israel," helium said.

Last Tuesday, the authorities confirmed it was suspending its commercialized negotiations with Israel successful the aftermath of an accelerated subject violative successful Gaza and the country's determination to bounds the magnitude of assistance allowed into the territory.

Mr Lammy told the Commons that Israel's actions were "egregious" and amounted to a "dark caller signifier successful this conflict".

But contempt the suspension of immoderate caller commercialized talks with Israel, Number 10 has insisted that the UK inactive has a trading narration with the country.

A spokesperson for the premier curate said: "We person ever had a trading relationship, but are pausing immoderate caller ones."

The UK has sanctioned a fig of individuals and groups successful the West Bank which it said person been linked with acts of unit against Palestinians - including Daniella Weiss, a starring settler activistic who was the taxable of Louis Theroux's caller documentary The Settlers.

Israel criticised the UK authorities enactment arsenic "regrettable" and said the escaped commercialized statement talks, which ministers person present backed retired of, were "not being precocious astatine each by the UK government".

Lord Austin has antecedently stressed the value of the UK's trading narration with Israel, claiming it is "worth billions and brings monolithic benefits to Britain".

Writing for Politics Home, helium said: "It is successful our nationalist interest, and the determination this week by the authorities to intermission negotiations connected a caller Free Trade Agreement does not alteration that.

"The concern successful Gaza is terrible, arsenic it is successful each wars, and the quickest mode to get the assistance successful and prevention lives is for Hamas to halt warring and merchandise the hostages. That would extremity the struggle immediately."