Israeli leaders mourn the death of the Queen

Israeli leaders mourn the death of the Queen We Believe in Israel would like to express our sadness at the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II and our condolences to the Royal Family.   We would like to share with you the expressions of condolence and remembrance from Israeli leaders from across the political spectrum, which have been collated by our friends at BICOM:   President Isaac Herzog: “HM Queen Elizabeth II was known far and wide simply as The Queen. Her passing is the end of an era. Together with the Israeli people, I grieve her loss and extend my deepest sympathies to the British people and all nations of the Commonwealth, who have lost their matriarch. Queen Elizabeth was a historic figure: she lived history, she made history, and with her passing she leaves a magnificent, inspirational legacy. As the 11th President of Israel during Her Majesty's long reign, and on behalf of the whole State and people of Israel, I express my condolences to the Royal Family, to the King and the Queen Consort, to the people of the United Kingdom, and to all nations of the Commonwealth.              Throughout her long and momentous reign, the world changed dramatically, while the Queen remained an icon of stable, responsible leadership, and a beacon of morality, humanity and patriotism. In her life and in her service to her people, the Queen embodied a spirit of integrity, duty & ancient tradition. My late mother and father had several audiences with the Queen over the years. Her fond welcome and warm hospitality left a profound impression down the generations.” Prime Minister Lapid: “On behalf of the Government and people of Israel, I send my condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She leaves behind an unparalleled legacy of leadership and service. May her memory be for a blessing.” Leader of the Opposition Benjamin Netanyahu: “My wife Sara and I, along with all the people of Israel, send our condolences to the people of Britain and to the royal family on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. She was a legendary sovereign, a beacon of integrity and a steward of a second Elizabethan age which will be remembered down the centuries. May her memory be blessed.” Defence Minister Benny Gantz: “I would like to express my sincere condolences to the United Kingdom, and to the loved ones of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen served the international community over 70 years, and under her reign, UK-Israel relations flourished. My thoughts are with the UK today.”            Transportation Minister and leader of the Labour Party Merav Michaeli: “Condolences to the Royal Family and the peoples of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, a woman larger than life who exemplified leadership and responsibility to her people and to her country.              The unique relationship between the State of Israel and the United Kingdom and the Royal Family's personal connections to our country will continue to strengthen and flourish in the reign of King Charles III.” Interior Minister and leader of Zionist Spirit Ayelet Shaked: “My heart is with The Royal Family and the entire United Kingdom with the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I was always inspired by her leadership as a strong historic woman. May she rest in peace and may her memory be a blessing."            Speaker of the Knesset MK Mickey Levy: "On behalf of myself and the Knesset, I extend my sincere condolences to the British people in this difficult time of intense grief over the death of Queen Elizabeth.  Over the years, the Queen became the most recognisable political figure in the world, a role model for women from all around the globe, and a symbol of endless devotion to the unity of the British nation. The world will greatly miss her.” Israel's Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely: "Deeply saddened by the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II. As Britain’s longest reigning monarch she was admired around the world as an inspirational & beloved stateswoman. Israel stands with the Royal family and the British people in mourning the loss of The Queen." Yours sincerely, Luke Akehurst, Director, We Believe in Israel

Liz Truss is officially the new British prime minister

Good afternoon.

 

I have just accepted Her Majesty The Queen's kind invitation to form a new government. 

 

Let me pay tribute to my predecessor.

 

Boris Johnson delivered Brexit, the Covid vaccine, and stood up to Russian aggression.

 

History will see him as a hugely consequential Prime Minister.

 

I am honoured to take on this responsibility at a vital time for our country.

 

What makes Britain great is our fundamental belief in freedom, in enterprise, and in fair play.

 

Our people have shown grit, courage, and determination time and time again.

 

We now face severe global headwinds caused by Russia’s appalling war in Ukraine and the aftermath of Covid.

 

Now is the time to tackle the issues that are holding Britain back.

 

We need to build roads, homes, and broadband faster.

 

We need more investment and great jobs in every town and city across our country.

 

We need to reduce the burden on families and help people get on in life.

 

I know we have what it takes to tackle those challenges.

 

Of course, it won’t be easy. But we can do it.

 

We will transform Britain into an aspiration nation with high-paying jobs, safe streets and where everyone everywhere have the opportunities they deserve.

 

I will take action this day, and action every day, to make it happen.

 

United with our allies, we will stand up for freedom and democracy around the world – recognising we cannot have security at home without security abroad.

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As Prime Minister, I will pursue three early priorities.

 

Firstly, I will get Britain working again.

 

I have a bold plan to grow the economy through tax cuts and reform.

 

I will cut taxes to reward hard work and boost business-led growth and investment.

 

I will drive reform in my mission to get Britain working, building, and growing.

 

We will get spades in the ground to make sure people are not facing unaffordable energy bills and we will also make sure that we are building hospitals, schools, roads, and broadband.

 

Secondly, I will deal hands-on with the energy crisis caused by Putin’s war.

 

I will take action this week to deal with energy bills and to secure our future energy supply.

 

Thirdly, I will make sure people can get the doctors’ appointments and NHS services they need. We will put our health service on a firm footing.

  

By delivering on the economy, energy, and the NHS, we will put our nation on the path to long-term success.

 

We should not be daunted by the challenges we face.

 

As strong as the storm may be, I know the British people are stronger.

 

Our country was built by people who get things done.

 

We have huge reserves of talent, of energy, and of determination.

 

I am confident that together we can ride out the storm, we can rebuild our economy, and become the modern, brilliant Britain that I know we can be.

 

This is our vital mission to ensure opportunity and prosperity for all people and future generations. I am determined to deliver. Thank you.

Leader of the Conservative & Unionist Party

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Where Liz Truss stands on Israel

The UK gets a new Prime Minister today, Liz Truss. As she previously served as Foreign Secretary and Trade Secretary her positive stance on relations with Israel is already a known quantity and it is reassuring for supporters of Israel that Boris Johnson is being replaced by someone equally pro-Israel.

 

In her first conference speech as Foreign Secretary, the new PM said Israel was part of a “network of liberty” to resist dictatorships and “malign actors”. She has also said that the UK has “no closer friend and ally” than Israel and called for an “advanced free trade agreement that supports jobs and drives growth” between the two countries.

 

On UN anti-Israel bias she has said: “UN representatives with a history of antisemitic remarks should have no role in reviewing the activities of Israel.”

 

She says “We have to stop Iran getting nuclear weapons. That is very, very clear.”

 

She has pledged to crack down on anti-Israel boycotts, saying “Public bodies should not be engaging in such discriminatory policies which go against the stance of this government and sow needless division”.

 

There’s an excellent analysis of the new PM’s foreign policy views, particularly regarding the Middle East, in this article for BICOM’s Fathom Journal by Toby Greene: https://fathomjournal.org/liz-trusss-world-view-and-its-implications-for-uk-israel-relations/

 

And here is an article quoting Israeli PM Yair Lapid saying Truss is a “true friend of Israel”: https://m.jpost.com/international/article-716357/am

Reminder – join our campaign to protest against the sacking of UN official who condemned terror attacks on Israel

Sarah Muscroft served as the head of the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

 

She was forced to apologise for a tweet she issued on 8 August 2022 that – rightly - condemned the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror organisation for its "indiscriminate rocket fire" into Israel.

 

Following pushback from pro-Palestinian activists who accused her of being overly deferential to Israel, Muscroft called her original missive "ill informed" and then deleted her Twitter account altogether.

 

A UN official confirmed that Muscroft was removed from her post as a result of the tweets and will be reassigned elsewhere in the agency.

 

Nothing Ms Muscroft said was inaccurate.

 

PIJ is a terror organisation and it was responsible for indiscriminate rocket fire into Israel.

 

The United Nations Secretary General appears on television and pontificates about paths to peace, yet he presides over organisation that punishes its own staff for speaking the truth about terrorist attacks on Israel.

 

As the UK is a significant contributor to the United Nations and sits on the UN security council, we want activists to email the Foreign Secretary (copying in the UN) and ask what action she will take to press the UN to rectify this egregious decision.

 

Please send an email using the IBA website here: https://www.israelbritain.org.uk/reinstate-sarah-muscroft-wb/

Best wishes,

Luke Akehurst,

Director, We Believe in Israel

THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN MARRAKECH

Jews of Marrakech and Marrakech is a former imperial city in western Morocco and it is a major economic centre and home to mosques, palaces and gardens. The city is a densely packed, walled medieval city dating to the Amazigh Empires.

Moroccan Jews and Israeli Jewish tourists participate in Simchat Torah festivities at a synagogue in Marrakesh on October 12, 2017. (AFP Photo/Fadel Senna

 The name Marrakesh has its origins in the Amazigh language ': amur akush' which means Land of God. Akush is god, and Mur is land. The ancient Medina was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1985 because of the city's impressive architecture and art.Where does Mellah locate n Marrakech? Mellah is located in the southern part of the medina of Marrakech. As you walk through the market you’ll find a wide variety of fresh produce, meats, and seafood and other things and nearby you will also find the Bahia Palace, Badi Palace and the Culinary Arts Museum. In this museum, you’ll find things about Jewish history. Where is Jewish cemetery in Marrakech and how many graves in it? If you just walk 3 minute from the Bahia Palace you’ll find the Miara Jewish Cemetery. It is open every day except Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

 The only different opening time is on Fridays, in which they open at 8:30 a.m. This is known as the largest Jewish cemetery in Morocco and it is covering over 20,000 graves, with its left corner dedicated to around 6,000 children who died during a typhus epidemic in the 19th century.it is interesting fact is that they still use this Jewish cemetery in Marrakech up until today. It is divided into three distinct sections: men, women, and children.The. Cemetery contains some famous Moroccan rabbis, like Rabbi Abraham Azoulay and Rabbi David Hazan. Most of the mausoleums are located on its perimeter.

How many Jews were there in Marrakech? No one knows accurate number because Jews were Marrakech and it's villages during all Amazigh empires such Almoravid empire, Almohad empire, Marinid empire and the Saadian state and even during Alawite state now. But they say that they were the 70,000 people. Marrakech was home to a lot of Jews and they were Sephardic Jews who were expelled from Europe and local Jews that were living in Morocco before the advent of Islam. How had Jews lived recently in Marrakech? Jews did not feel safe during Amazigh empire Almoravids, ( I said why, in previous article) but things got better for Jews under other Amazigh empires and states and they came back to Marrakesh and built their neighbourhood and established their business as they did in all cities.

But after Jews left Morocco in 60s, 70s and 90s, pretty much all Mellahs in Morocco became a place of garage, and alcoholic addicts and drag dealers but 2020 , they started to repair synagogues, Jewish places and etc.  After the creation state of Israel, Zionism started to call for Jews to go back to their true homeland, but some Jews refused to go back especially Moroccan Jews ( it is the same story during Babylonian empire when they captured Jews and took them to modern Iraq, and when the great king of Persian defeated Bablonian army and allowed Jews to go back their homeland but some Jews refused to go back to Judah )Moroccan Government adopted hate policy toward Jews. why?  There is a mysteries which I have not understood yet. 

The goal was to scare Jews and push them to leave Morocco to Israel. Why and how had Jews left Morocco is a big topic and there are lots of mysteries about it. Even intelligence agencies involved it. Even terror attacks that targeted Jews in Oujda and Casablanca in 60s is questionable and something behind it.

Aksil Rf

Priti Patel slams BDS as 'racist'

Priti Patel has declared her “unflinching and unequivocal” support for Israel, describing her relationship to the country as “deeply personal” to her.

Speaking at a Conservative Friends of Israel reception on Monday, the Home Secretary also said that she is “quite unapologetic” about the proscription of the Hamas terror group last year, saying that it was “not just the right thing to do, [it was] a moral imperative”.

Priti Patel and Tzipi Hotovely pictured at the CFI parliamentary reception on Monday (Photo: CFI)

Patel praised the Israeli Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, also in attendance, thanking her for “who you are and what you do” and for the “wider support” that Israel gives to the UK.

Speaking to an audience of 140 CFI supporters, including 50 parliamentarians, Patel spoke of the “shared values” between the UK and Israel, adding that “everything we have seen around the BDS movement is racist”.

She said that the UK and Israel have an “unwavering belief in freedom, democracy and security”, saying that they are “united in speaking out and standing up against racism and antisemitism”.

The Home Secretary expressed her concern that antisemitism has “infiltrated our politics, our political dialogue and discourse”, adding: “It is utterly appalling that antisemitism has been on the increase”.

          Priti Patel speech CFI dinner

Priti Patel giving the keynote address to CFI supporters and parliamentarians (Photo: CFI)

These comments follow a report by Tel Aviv University last month that found that antisemitism was on the rise around the world in 2021, with the UK experiencing a significant rise compared to both 2020 and 2019.

Patel also expressed her “sympathies and condolences” to the families of the 19 Israelis murdered in the latest wave of terror attacks.

“We can never tolerate extremism… it absolutely erodes the fundamental rock of security and with that peace and prosperity”, the Home Secretary said, adding that the UK Government “will continue to send out the strongest messages around zero tolerance towards terrorist activities, but also towards the type of activities that are aimed and targeted at hurting the State of Israel, Jewish communities and the people of Israel”.

    Israel's Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, address parliamentarians and CFI supporters on Monday (Photo: CFI)

In her speech, Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely praised the Home Secretary for her work on “combating terrorism, fighting all types of extremism and fighting antisemitism”.

The ambassador also thanked CFI for its work, praising CFI Parliamentary Chairman Rt. Hon. The Lord Pickles and Rt. Hon. Stephen Crabb MP and CFI Honorary President Lord Polak CBE for their work on strengthening the UK-Israel bilateral relationship.

Israel Past and Present

Regardless of where you live, or where you are from, remember, Israel is our home. The State of Israel is celebrating with you in our shared victories and accomplishments and is standing shoulder to shoulder with you in difficult times, as well.

Over these last few years, we undoubtedly have been faced with many challenges: terror attacks, acts of antisemitism, wars and instability and a global pandemic. However; even in the wake of this uncertainty, we have come together to face these trials and tribulations, and have come out even stronger.

Throughout the situation in Ukraine, Israel has strived to assist not only our Jewish brothers and sisters but all Ukrainians in need, standing on the frontline providing humanitarian aid and supporting refugees.