Johnson to visit Israel

BORIS JOHNSON is to visit Israel next week — his first official trip since becoming Foreign Secretary.

The former mayor is scheduled to visit Jerusalem during the tour, which comes six months after he was in the city to attend Shimon Peres’s funeral.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “The Foreign Secretary is looking forward to visiting both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories soon to discuss a wide range of regional issues.”

Simon Johnson, chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, welcomed the visit. He said: “It is an unsettled period for the region as a whole and it is our hope that the Secretary of State will work to stabilise the region as well as seek to maintain good trade relations between Israel and the UK.”

Two years ago, during a visit to Israel as Mayor of London, Mr Johnson criticised the BDS movement describing the campaign as “completely crazy” and promoted by a “few lefty academics”.

His colourful denunciation of boycotts was applauded by Israel’s supporters but led to the cancellation of meetings with Palestinian leaders on the West Bank.