Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left early on Friday for a visit to London, during which he will hold talks with his British counterpart, Rishi Sunak.
Netanyahu’s plane took off around 4:30 a.m., apparently after a delay due to plans by judicial reform protesters to block the road to the airport in front of Netanyahu as he leaves for a trip to Europe for the third straight weekend.
Netanyahu Quits After Apparent Delays for London where more protesters are waiting https://t.co/tLZ92D0KQF
– Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) March 24, 2023
Netanyahu is due to head straight to 10 Downing Street after landing at Heathrow airport around 6:30 local time for talks on Iran’s nuclear program. Netanyahu’s office was told that he was also due to meet with Interior Minister Soila Braverman.
Officials have kept Netanyahu’s travel plans ahead of the trip secret, in an apparent attempt to outflank the protesters, though he will also be met in London by Israelis protesting judicial reform.
Netanyahu originally scheduled the departure around 11 p.m. Thursday, but was forced to delay it after officials learned of Heathrow’s long-standing ban on midnight landings, according to a report by news site Ynet.
The trip marks the third consecutive weekend that an Israeli leader has visited the European capital, after visiting Rome and Berlin in the past two weeks.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that his visit to London will focus on threats posed by Iran.
Netanyahu and Sunak will also discuss the Ukrainian crisis and regional affairs in the Middle East, as well as strengthen bilateral relations, especially in the field of defense and intelligence.
And the Israeli media points out that the UK is of particular importance to Iran because it is a permanent member of the Security Council and also a signatory to the Iran nuclear deal, like France and Germany, which Netanyahu also visited in the past two months.
Source: Israeli media
