Participants: Sir Edward Garnier MP, Rt. Hon. Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, Guto Bebb MP, Bob Blackman MP, Jack Lopresti MP, Andrew Percy MP.
CFI coordinated a delegation of six Conservative parliamentarians to participate in the third annual Australia Israel UK Leadership Dialogue in Jerusalem.
The AIULD is designed to strengthen the trilateral relationship between Australia, Israel and the UK through the bringing together of opinion leaders and decision makers from each of the three countries.
Parliamentarians in attendance included Sir Edward Garnier MP, former Solicitor General, Rt. Hon. Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, former Minister of State for Security and Counter Terrorism, Guto Bebb MP, Bob Blackman MP, Jack Lopresti MP, and Andrew Percy MP.
Taking place amidst the tension and unease of Operation Protective Edge, the Conservative parliamentarians gained a first-hand understanding of the complexities of daily life in the area.
A full day of dialogue was held at the Knesset, including contributions from Knesset members, Danny Danon (Likud), Nachman Shai (Labor), Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud) and former Ambassador to the US, H.E. Michael Oren. The dialogue provided a platform for discussions on a range of topics including Iran’s nuclear programme, the Middle East Peace Process and Palestinian Authority-sanctioned incitement.
The itinerary also included visits to the ancient Masada fortification, the Dead Sea, and an Iron Dome missile-defence system deployed to intercept Hamas rockets over Tel Aviv.