The UK-Israel bilateral relationship is based on deep connections between our two countries and embraces a wide range of activities.

Political:

Britain is a good friend of Israel and has a long-standing historical engagement in the Middle East. We strongly support an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict and we are heavily involved in bringing stability and peace to the region. Our good relations with all the Middle Eastern players, our leading role in the EU and our close partnership with the US, make Britain a natural partner for Israel.

There is a regular flow of senior ministerial visits between the UK and Israel: Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited Israel in July 2008 to mark Israel's diamond jubliee year and became the first British Prime Minister to address the Knesset. He, along with five other European leaders, also visited in January 2009 following the ceasefire in Gaza. Foreign Secretary David Miliband visited Israel for talks in November 2008 and FCO Minister for the Middle East Bill Rammell visited Israel in December 2008. In addition, Israeli President Shimon Peres visited the UK in November 2008, where he addressed members of both Houses of Parliament and received an honorary knighthood from Her Majesty the Queen. 

Our Prime Ministers are in regular contact and have a good working and personal relationship. For more on the UK's involvement in the Middle East Peace Process, click here.

The bilateral political relationship goes further than the peace process. The British government has introduced huge changes in all areas of the British system of governance. We have exchanged ideas with Israel on the modernising government scheme (in particular the UK-led Private Financing Initiative (PFI), which finds innovative ways of financing public projects). A number of seminars and exchanges have been organised between the two governments and civil services to see what is relevant in Israel.

The Jewish Community in Britain plays an important role in UK public life and the large number of British olim (immigrants) in Israel provides a good backdrop to the flourishing bilateral relationship.

Commercial:

Bilateral business relations between Israel and the UK are excellent and continue to flourish. The Embassy's UK Trade & Investment Section is responsible for nourishing these ties.

Britain has traditionally enjoyed good trading relations with Israel and is seen as a natural trading partner. Annual bilateral trade between Britain and Israel has exceeded £2 billion for the past five years and could well reach £3 billion by 2012. Israel is the UK's 23rd largest market worldwide and the largest individual export market and trading partner in the region.

Significant bilateral investment continues to grow, with over 250 Israeli companies already operating in Britain. The UK is well placed to provide its financial services to Israel. Only four hours away by air and two hours difference in time zones, the City of London, Europe's premier centre for financial services, is ideally situated to provide a gateway to Europe for Israeli companies.

Please see our Doing Business section for further information.

Cultural:

The British Council, through its offices in Tel Aviv, West Jerusalem and Nazareth, works in partnership with Israeli organisations, government and non-government institutions to promote closer co-operation between the UK and Israel in the Arts, Education, Governance and Science.

In July 2008, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced the launch of a new partnership programme to enhance research and academic cooperation between the UK and Israel. The Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX) will build and strengthen the already excellent academic links between universities in the UK and Israel.

UK universities play a major role in higher education in Israel. Over 1,000 Israelis study in the UK (some on British government scholarships) and over 8,000 Israelis take British degree courses through distance learning in Israel. The British Council offers advice and support for Israelis interested in UK higher education and acts as the local agent for many British examination boards and institutions by providing a registration service for people wishing to take these examinations and by administering the examinations.

The British Council challenges stereotypes of the UK by supporting both traditional and innovative arts performances. The BI ARTS scheme, jointly funded by the British Council, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport encourages arts training for professionals from the UK and Israel. The British Council brokers contacts between Israeli and British professionals and policy makers, especially in the areas of conflict resolution, women in governance, public sector reform, human and civil rights.

Scientific:

With their outstanding record of scientific discovery, Britain and Israel are natural partners in this important field.

In celebration of the 60th year of Israel's independence, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office launched the 2008 UK-Israel Collaboration Development Award (CDA) programme for researchers in the field of stem cells. The UK promotes the advancement of stem cell research and believes that cultivating effective collaborations between research teams in the UK and abroad will accelerate scientific progress and delivery of patient benefits.

Britain and Israel signed the Science Networking Development Scheme in March 2001, to encourage dialogue and co-operation between the Israeli and UK science communities.

The British Embassy Tel Aviv appointed a Science and Technology Officer to develop relations between academia and research communities in the UK and Israel.

In addition, in 2006 the British government sponsored a visit to Israel by Professor Stephen Hawking to showcase the UK's excellence in science.