This week Israel and the UK mark 70 years of official diplomatic ties. The two countries have had their ups and downs in their bilateral relationship, in part because of the bloody events that led to the departure of British forces, but they always found a way forward.
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After Israel was established in 1948, two years went by before UK and Israel agreed to bury the hatchet and exchange ambassadors. The first British prime minister to visit Israel was Margaret Thatcher, who came in 1986, but only in 2018 was there an official visit by a member of the royal family, Prince William.
Despite the various lows in the relationship, which have included an arms embargo, the past decade has seen a positive trajectory, and with the culmination of the Brexit process earlier this year, Britain no longer toes the EU line when it comes to foreign policy, having been unshackled from Brussels.
In fact, even before Brexit took effect, in the years following the 2016 referendum, prime ministers Theresa May and Boris Johnson have shown more sympathy toward Israel, and despite being somewhat lenient on the Palestinians and Iran, the UK has recently outlawed Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, bilateral trade is breaking records, and the two militaries hold joint drills.
"I am lucky to have served during such a unique moment in the relationship," outgoing Israeli Ambassador the UK Mark Regev told Israel Hayom. "I think there have been two particularly special moments throughout my ambassadorship. The first was the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration in November 2020, and the second was the Duke of Cambridge's visit to Israel in 2018. Those two events both represent the ongoing strength of our partnership."
Sir Tom Phillips, who was the UK ambassador to Israel between 2006 and 2010, told Israel Hayom: "After I had just arrived, I asked an old friend of mine, who is anything but religious, to tell me what it means for him to be a Jew. His answer was, 'To be proud of being a small link in a chain of generations dating back 3,000 years. This response reverberated in my head as I thought about the unique and long chain of events going back hundreds of years and culminating with the establishment of the state of Israel.'"
Dror Zeigerman, who served as Israel's ambassador in London between 1998 and 2001 said: "In 2,000, we hosted a special dinner for then-Israeli Air Force chief Eitan Ben Eliyahu during which I got into a conversation with the head of the Royal Air Force. Then, out of the blue, he asked me whether I would like to take a ride inside a fighter jet, and of course, I agreed on the spot. When we landed, the pilot asked me if I had some training before, because I survived without throwing up and with no nausea."
Sir Simon McDonald, the ambassador between 2003-2006, also shared an anecdote with Israel Hayom: "I was invited to speak at a big event in the Jerusalem Theater and the only thing I knew how to say in Hebrew was "Slicha, ani lo dover ivrit" ("Sorry I don't speak Hebrew"). And then I told the crowd that I had realized that you only need four words in Israel. Shalom, because it has multiple meanings, all of which are positive; beseder ("ok"), because Israelis are very chill; balagan ("mess"), because Israelis are very direct; and kippa ("yarmulke"), because it covers so many sins. This is when I turned to the crowd and lifted my kippa to expose my bald spot. The crowd laughed. Diplomats need to understand the country they live in even if they do not speak the language."
