Britain and Israel’s decade of closer ties

V EVER SINCE Britain voted narrowly in June 2016 to leave the European Union, British civil servants and diplomats have been preparing for what many have described as Brexit’s greatest prize: the ability to strike trade deals with the world’s richest and most dynamic countries, independently of the EU.

Israel is one of the UK’s more prominent targets. Over the past decade, the two countries have vastly increased the amount of goods and services they sell to each other, making Britain the largest trading partner for Israel in Europe today, ranking behind only the United States and China in the world.

The relationship is blossoming in reverse, too: in 2018, the goods Britain sold to Israel were valued at £4.7 billion. Exports of oil and other fuels and minerals accounted for a vast share — nearly two-thirds — of that figure.

A new study by Bicom, the Israel and Middle East think-tank, documents in some detail how the UK and Israel’s relationship changed in the 2010s. Its report published this week shows that the transformation has been about more than just the two countries buying and selling more of each other’s products.

Close followers of Israel’s vibrant tech scene, for example, will not be surprised to learn that Britain takes a close interest in Israeli cyber security technology — and contrary to what some might expect, it is not all about espionage and cyber warfare, but in services that affect our everyday lives.

Take Takadu, an Israeli start-up company. It actively monitors London’s water systems from its base in Tel Aviv and alerts Thames Water when leaks are detected. Then there is the Israeli firm Trigo Vision, which last year received a sizeable investment from Tesco to help develop the supermarket’s checkout-free technology.

The 2010s also saw Britain and Israel find far more common ground in areas such as regional politics, where historically they have often disagreed.

Bicom believes last month’s Conservative election victory could serve to deepen the UK-Israeli security partnership, and there is a lot more agreement between the two on how to respond to Iran’s assertiveness in the region — even though, unlike the Israel and United States, Britain still believes with France and Germany that there is a way to restore or rebuild the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.

Moves to build a closer, multi-layered relationship between Britain and Israel predates the EU referendum, but Brexit has certainly helped accelerate the process.