The dimensions of England’s all-round support to the Zionist regime

Mehr News Agency, International Group: The investigation of the Gaza war and the crisis created by the usurping Zionist regime has caused the Palestinian crisis to be raised as one of the most important regional and international issues. The British government is one of the most important international players in the Zionist-Palestinian conflict, which has played a fundamental role in the formation of this regime and its support over the past seven decades. After the Al-Aqsa storm operation, this country has extended its support to the regime in political and military dimensions.

Ups and downs of London-Tel Aviv relations

England, which is considered the most important colonial power in Asia in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, played the main role in the establishment of the regime in the form of the Balfour Declaration in 1917. Zionist has The British purpose of issuing this declaration was to gain the support of the powerful Jewish diaspora for London’s policies. Balfour British Foreign Minister in a letter addressed to Walter Rothschild, one of the famous figures of the Zionist movement, promised a homeland for the Jews. The Jewish nation in Palestine is following with interest and will do its best to make it possible to establish it. While Palestine had a weak government, it was also considered a holy land for the Jews and had a suitable climatic and geographical location.

With the outbreak of World War II, a huge wave of Jews left for Palestine in line with the policy adopted by the British with American support to establish an independent Jewish state and strengthen the political foundation of Zionism. became So that, in addition to the previous migrations, during the 5 years of World War II, from 1939 to 1944, another hundred thousand Jews flocked to this land. On November 29, 1947, the United Nations approved the plan to divide Palestine into two countries, Israel and Palestine, and to administer the city of Quds internationally. This plan was approved by the Zionist leaders and finally in May 1948, at the same time as the end of the British protectorate over Palestine, Israel declared its existence by issuing the Charter of Independence.

British policy towards the second Arab war and the regime in the 1960s was open support for the Arab parties and covert support for the regime. By selling tanks to the regime, England played an important role in creating a balance between the regime and the Arab army of Egypt led by Abdel Nasser. During the 1967 Six Day War, Britain provided the regime with intelligence reports on the size and capabilities of the Arab armies. In 1973 and after the Yom Kippur War, like other Western countries, London was affected by the consequences of the oil embargo of oil-producing Arab countries. In 1975, England voted against UN General Assembly Resolution 3379, which considered Zionism synonymous with racism.

The 1980s were the years of cold relations between the two sides. At the beginning of this decade, London opposed the regime’s new settlements in the occupied territories. In 1982, with the beginning of the Falkland War, which was accompanied by the death of more than 200 Englishmen, the revelation of the regime’s policy of selling weapons to Argentina caused a cold relationship between the two sides. The result of this cold relationship was the imposition of an arms embargo against the regime in the Lebanon war. Britain continued the arms embargo against the regime until 1994. During this period, London announced that it does not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem. After the Oslo agreement in 1993 and the withdrawal of the regime from Gaza and Jericho, the relations between the parties increased.

With the beginning of the new century, relations between England and the regime increased. In 2009, the British government raised the issue of labeling goods produced in West Bank settlements. This caused the regime leaders to consider London as a supporter of the “boycott movement”. In February 2010, when fake British passports were used in a Mossad assassination operation against a Hamas leader in Dubai, Matthew Gould, the British ambassador to Israel, was linked to the matter. In 2011, the Anglo-Israel Technology Center was opened at the London Embassy in Tel Aviv. In 2012, bilateral trade increased by 34%. Since this year, the political, economic and military relations of the parties have accelerated.

Increasing economic relations – military In the last decade

The value of business relations between the UK and the regime is estimated at 7 billion pounds, and more than 400 regime technology companies operate in the UK. Military relations between London and Tel Aviv have been continuously increasing.

England admitted in 2009 that the weapons made in this country were used by the regime in Operation Cast Lead (22-day war in Gaza). Since 2010, the two countries have cooperated in the development of drones through the Watchkeeper program, which has been deployed by British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 2015, Britain has also authorized military exports to the regime worth at least 474 million pounds ($601 million), including items such as warplanes, missiles, tanks, small arms and weapon parts. Military cooperation has expanded to integrate naval, land, air, space, cyber, and electromagnetic capabilities. Because the Zionist regime has the longest border with Jordan, London’s military support for Amman is a strategic priority.

Since 2017, conducting joint military exercises with the presence of regime fighters and the Royal Air Force has formed a new level of military cooperation between the two sides. Also, although London declared Hezbollah a terrorist organization in February 2019, Tel Aviv wants more pressure from London on the Lebanese government to stop the deployment of Hezbollah personnel in southern Lebanon and increase the group’s missile capabilities. The cooperation between the two sides in the field of cyber security is such that a senior British official in 2019 called it a “first-class partnership”. In December 2020, a defense cooperation agreement was drawn up between the British Ministry of Defense and the regime’s army headquarters to increase defense medical training cooperation. The two sides also signed a long-term agreement in March 2023 that will strengthen ties in the fields of defense, security and technology until 2030. The British Foreign Ministry announced that the parties are determined to create a modern, innovative and forward-looking relationship.

British support for the Zionist regime after October 7th

Political support

After the start of Al-Aqsa storm operation, in the field of political and diplomatic support, the British government showed its full support to the regime. Two days after the start of Operation Storm, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that “We will provide all the support they need to make sure Israel can defend itself against this.” David Cameron also stated shortly after being appointed to the British Foreign Ministry that “we must have basic support for Israel and say that you have the right to try to get rid of the leadership of Hamas and its armed forces. do”

Military support

In the military field, London’s support for Tel Aviv has been significant. The British Prime Minister announced in a statement at the beginning of the crisis: two Royal Navy warships, a P8 spy plane and three Merlin helicopters will be on standby to provide practical support to Israel and Britain’s partners in the region. British reconnaissance aircraft will fly in the region to track regional stability threats such as the transfer of weapons to terrorist groups.

In addition, experts believe that approximately 15% of the parts used in the bombing of Gaza with F-35 aircraft were supplied by the UK. As a strategic weapon, these fighters have played the main role in bombing thousands of civilians and destroying Palestinian infrastructure and homes. Britain has also increased the number of its troops in Cyprus, which is about 200 miles away from the occupied territories, after the start of the regime’s air operations in Gaza.

Hamas sanctions

From 2001 to 2021, England included the Ezzeddin Qassam Brigades of the military wing of Hamas among terrorist organizations. But from November 2021 officially included the whole Hamas movement in the list of terrorist groups. In general, in these years, the British policy towards this group has been a policy of no contact. After the start of Operation Storm, England has imposed several rounds of sanctions against Hamas leaders. has done. On November 15, 2023, the British Foreign Ministry imposed restrictions on four Hamas leaders, including Yahya al-Sanwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, Mohammad al-Dhaif, the commander of the Qassam battalions, Marwan Issa, the deputy of al-Dhaif, and Musa Dudin, the representative of Hamas in the West Bank.

One roof and two airs for the ceasefire and the Western solution of two states

After the expansion of the regime’s air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip and regional and international requests for a ceasefire in this area, England initially abstained from the UN General Assembly resolution regarding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Then, the Prime Minister of this country in the House of Commons made the support of the ceasefire subject to two conditions and announced “England supports the establishment of a permanent ceasefire in the sense that Hamas stops firing rockets at Israel and releases all prisoners.

On the other hand, after the first round of ceasefire, David Cameron visited Washington in December 2023 claimed that “Israel’s long-term security depends not only on its armed strength and strength, but also on the safe and peaceful life of the Palestinians.” “But if Hamas takes over even a part of Gaza, there will never be a two-state solution, because Israel cannot be expected to live with a group of people who want October 7 to happen again.” Cameron also said during his visit to Lebanon on February 1, 2024, “in order for Britain to recognize the Palestinian state, the leaders of the Hamas group must leave Gaza.”

Result

England has been one of the most important countries supporting the occupying regime since its establishment until now. London has played the main role in the establishment of this regime and its political, economic and military support during the last seven decades. England has been one of the major trade and investment partners of the Zionist regime in the last decade. This support policy has increased after the Al-Aqsa storm in diplomatic, military dimensions and in the field of expansion of sanctions against Hamas. British leaders even made the establishment of a ceasefire conditional on the end of Palestinian attacks. The noteworthy point in this country’s policies is ignoring the role of Hamas in the future of Palestine, as well as the popularity of this group among Palestinians. The statements of the leaders of this country, especially regarding the future of Hamas, indicate that their support for the strategy of the two governments is not within the framework of the interests of the Palestinians, but more in line with the support of the occupying regime.

Sajad Moradi Kalardeh, researcher of international relations