For over a half-century, Israeli diplomats working in London complained about the legendary antipathy of the Foreign Office’s Arabists. But, as demonstrated during Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s visit to Israel in mid-September, a change has been underway, and today the UK is more positive about its relations with Israel than ever before.
Cleverly’s itinerary included meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, as well as an address before the International Counter-Terrorism Conference at Reichman University, where he stated: “We have stood by Israel’s side… this year and in the past, and we will continue to do so in the future.”
In the same speech, Britain’s chief diplomat condemned Iran’s calls for the destruction of Israel, its destabilizing weapons transfers across the Middle East, and its funding of “terrorist groups, such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” who “fire rockets into civilian areas… target children… shoot innocent people of all faiths, of all nationalities, of all ethnicities.”
Cleverly denounced Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s recent remarks about the Holocaust, saying that he was “spreading disgusting, antisemitic tropes, and outrageous distortions of history.” The Palestinians, he insisted, should “be clear in their denouncement of violence” and offer “no excuse to target Israelis, particularly Israeli civilians.”
The Foreign Secretary endorsed a two-state solution and called upon Israelis and Palestinians “to work together, and to fulfill the aspirations and hope that underpin the Oslo Accords.” But he then added: “I am not naive. I know that these are incredibly challenging goals and that they are exceptionally difficult.”
Cleverly concluded his address by saying that “75 years of your continued existence is proof that this is a country that can do amazing things. You have stood as a beacon of liberal democracy in the Middle East. And you have proven to be a great friend and a valued partner to the United Kingdom. That is why I am and will always be proud to be seen as a friend of Israel.”
Arabist-dominated no longer
All this was a far cry from the traditional stereotype of the Arabist-dominated UK Foreign Office.
The Arabists are diplomats who devote their careers to the Middle East. But unlike other country and region specialists – Sinologists, Russologists, and Africa experts – Arabists were accused of having an infatuation with their interlocutors, of seeing Arab and British interests as intrinsically linked, and of viewing Israel through a hostile Arab prism.
Because the Foreign Office is one of Britain’s Great Offices of State, its institutional clout made the Arabists highly influential in determining UK policy (unlike in Israel, where for decades the foreign service played second fiddle to its defense and security counterparts).
The historic power of the Arabists was apparent last year in the obituaries of Queen Elizabeth II. During her more than seven-decade reign, Britain’s monarch paid official visits to 117 countries, including 14 in the Middle East: Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Oman (twice), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and the UAE (twice). But although she visited the neighborhood, Elizabeth II never set foot in the Jewish state.
For Whitehall, a royal visit is a function of foreign policy priorities, and despite invitations issued by successive Israeli presidents, those in the Foreign Office responsible for the Middle East never deemed such a visit appropriate – not following the historic 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty nor in the 1993-94 heyday of the Oslo peace process. For the Arabists, it was never the right time. (Prince William’s 2018 visit was the harbinger of a correction).
British Arabism was so pronounced that it found expression in popular culture, from the blockbuster film Lawrence of Arabia (1962) depicting the English romanticization of the Arabs to the BBC series Yes, Prime Minister episode “A Victory for Democracy” (1986) which laughed at the Foreign Office’s anti-Israel antics.
Such institutional biases can still surface. During my time as Israel’s ambassador in London (2016-20), the Foreign Office diplomat responsible for Arabic communications conducted a tour of the Middle East. Her daily Twitter feed ignored the autocratic and illiberal nature of the countries she visited in North Africa and the Levant and instead showcased themes like archeology, culture, tourism, and successful development projects. Only upon arriving in the West Bank did she allow herself to indulge in political criticism, and not of the Palestinian Authority, but of Israel – her behavior, unfortunately, reflected the approach of many Foreign Office colleagues.
However, while such predispositions may persevere, they have largely been eclipsed by a revolutionary development – the transformation in Arab attitudes towards Israel.
London’s most important Arab partners, especially those in the Gulf, no longer perceive Israel as an enemy; instead, the pragmatic Arab states increasingly view Israel as a partner and an ally. Even the most diehard British Arabist has trouble remaining more negative about Israel than the Arabs themselves.
And it is not just Cleverly’s words that demonstrate this shift. As a senior British diplomat told me, if in the past the composition of a UK ambassador in Israel’s job was 80% Arab-Israel conflict-related and 20% bilateral ties, these proportions have now flipped. Today the focus is predominantly on building stronger, mutually beneficial Israel-UK cooperation – which, according to London’s most recent figures, has seen trade reach £7.3 billion, up 29.9% from 12 months ago.
In parallel, there has been clear progress in the way the UK votes at the UN. If once Britain was just another critical voice in international forums, internal Foreign Ministry documents show that in recent years the UK has outpaced other Western European countries in its positive voting on Israel.
Of course, change is seldom irrevocable. And even if Britain’s Foreign Office is no longer a bastion of anti-Israel sentiment, a reversal could still come from the politicians.
Cleverly represents the Conservatives, who have been in power since 2010. National elections should be held before the end of next year and opinion polls are consistently showing Britain’s opposition Labour Party holding a substantial lead.
While Labour leader Keir Starmer has purged the party of his predecessor’s antisemitism, some observers remain concerned about residual Corbyn-type attitudes towards the Jewish state within the membership.
Labour’s last two prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were both friends of Israel who could stand up to Arabist bureaucrats.
If Labour returns to office, it will be interesting to see how Starmer deals with those in his party who are uncomfortable with the current positive trajectory in Israel-UK ties.
The writer, formerly an adviser to Israel’s prime minister, is chair of the Abba Eban Institute for Diplomacy at Reichman University. Connect with him on LinkedIn, @Ambassador Mark Regev.