Cameron meets Natanyahu over cooperation

Just before his visit Netanyahu said, “Europe should support Israel – not pressure Israel, not attack Israel, but support Israel“.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to face intense protests as he heads to Downing Street for talks with David Camer on. In a statement, the government said on Tuesday: “We recognise that the conflict in Gaza previous year took a bad toll”.

The resolution also called for the EU’s Foreign Affairs Representative Federica Mogherini to “take the lead within the commission with a view to completing the work on EU-wide guidelines on the labelling of Israeli settlement produce”.

Speaking after meeting European Council President Donald Tusk and before flying to London for talks with David Cameron, Netanyahu said Israel, like Europe, was under threat from violent Islam and the two needed to stand together.

However, Netanyahu’s visit has not gone unnoticed by Palestinian solidarity activists in the UK.

President Barack Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, March 3, 2014.

Before boarding the plane to London from Israel, Netanyahu said he would warn Europe against pressuring Israel as the country represents a bulwark against radical Islamism in the Middle East.

“Disagreeing with Prime Minister Netanyahu, there is nothing wrong with that at all“.

Days before he was scheduled to arrive to the United Kingdom Wednesday, Netanyahu’s two-day visit was already a point of deep contention among many local political leaders, including union leaders and Labour MPs, according to the Guardian. More than 300 said that they would attend the counter-rally. Last year’s seven-week war in Gaza, which left 2,000 dead and tens of thousands homeless has already cast a long shadow over the Israeli PM’s visit. “I don’t expect anything to happen as he falls under Universal Jurisdiction which means he cannot be detained, but it sends a clear message the he is not welcome in the United Kingdom and that we haven’t forgotten”.

“Arrest Netanyahu” and “war criminal” they chanted, some holding up posters calling for an end to the blockade on Gaza as well as images of the Israeli leader plastered with the words “child killer”. But protests like today’s show they are at odds with huge numbers of people who support the Palestinians and hate British imperialism.