Netanyahu to meet May in London

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit London early next week.

According to plans that were being finalised late last week, Mr Netanyahu is to arrive in Britain on Sunday evening and meet Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday at Downing Street.

The two have not met before as Mrs May’s only official visit to Israel, as Home Secretary, coincided with the security crisis following the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers in June 2014.

The two prime ministers were scheduled to meet last month at the Davos World Economic Forum but Mr Netanyahu cancelled the meeting in protest over Britain’s vote in favour of the UN Security Council resolution against Israel’s settlement policy, and eventually scrapped his entire trip to Davos.

At the top of Mr Netanyahu’s agenda will be his attempt to get Britain to take a tougher stance on the Iranian regime.

He will also be interested in getting Mrs May’s impressions of President Donald Trump following her visit to Washington. However, unlike the British government, Mr Netanyahu and his aides already have close contacts with the new president’s team and the prime minister has met Mr Trump a number of times in the past.