Delegations
Recent Delegations
Seven Conservative MPs join CFI in Israel for tailored delegation
Participants: Mark Harper MP, Michael Ellis MP, James Wharton MP, Robert Halfon MP, Jack Lopresti MP, Andrew Percy MP, Guto Bebb MP
During the recent Easter Recess, CFI were accompanied by seven MPs to Israel for a tailored delegation about Iran.
The group received a series of in-depth briefings from senior Israeli officials and experts on issues as wide ranging as Iran’s nuclear programme, support for terrorism and human rights abuses.
The focus of the trip was the status of Iran’s nuclear activities and the on-going P5+1-Iran nuclear talks within the framework of last November’s interim nuclear agreement; the Joint Plan of Action.
The group included former Minister of State for Immigration, Mark Harper MP, Michael Ellis MP and Rob Halfon MP.
The trip featured a series of meetings with Israel’s foremost Iran experts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), including Eran Lerman, Deputy National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel and Jeremy Issacharoff, Deputy Director General of the MFA.The MPs also heard from Mark Regev, Spokesperson for the Prime Minister of Israel.
The group learned about the specifics of the Joint Plan of Action and Iran’s domestic political scene in meetings with Emily Landau, Head of the Arms Control and Regional Security programme at Israel’s renowned Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and respected Iranian-born Israeli academic, David Menashri, founding Director of the Alliance Centre for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University.Additionally, the visit featured a dinner with British Ambassador to Israel, H.E. Matthew Gould at his Residency in Tel Aviv.
Conservative MPs have repeatedly raised concerns with the Foreign Secretary about Iran and the Joint Plan of Action interim agreement. Earlier this year, Matthew Offord MP led a Westminster Hall Debate on the Joint Plan of Action, in which he stated his “serious concerns” about the interim agreement, and noting that it “does not resolve international suspicions”, while granting Iran an easing of economic sanctions.
March 2014: Delegation of Conservative MPs join PM David Cameron in Israel
Participants: James Clappison MP (CFI Parliamentary Chairman), Mike Freer MP, Matthew Offord MP, Lee Scott MP, David Burrowes MP
In March 2014, five Conservative MPs joined Prime Minister David Cameron on his first official visit to the country, in a CFI-led delegation.
In his address to Israel's Knesset, the Prime Minister asserted that his support for Israel was "unbreakable".
During their time in Israel, the Conservative MPs had lunch with British Ambassador to Israel H.E. Matthew Gould, and met with Yuval Steinitz, Israel's Minister for Intelligence and Strategic Affairs, and Ambassador Dore Gold, President of the Jerusalem Centre Public Affairs.
Speaking of the visit, CFI's Parliamentary Chairman James Clappison MP, MP for Hertsmere said:
Mike Freer MP for Finchley and Golders Green said:
Matthew Offord MP for Hendon said:
Lee Scott MP for Ilford North said:
David Burrowes MP for Endfield Southgate said:
February 2014: Delegation of Conservative MPs and PPCs visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority
Participants: Rt. Hon. Nick Herbert MP, James Clappison MP, Robert Halfon MP, Peter Bone MP, Simon Marcus PPC, Thomas Pursglove PPC, Henry Newman
In February 2014, CFI led delegation to Israel and the West Bank with four Conservative MPs, two Conservative prospective parliamentary candidates (PPC) and a Special Adviser in attendance.
CFI were joined by Former Minister for Policing and Justice Rt. Hon. Nick Herbert MP, CFI Parliamentary Chairman James Clappison MP, Robert Halfon MP and Peter Bone MP.
CFI delegation with Yuval Steinitz, Israel's Minister for Intelligence and Strategic Affairs
The group also included Simon Marcus, PPC for Hampstead and Kilburn, and Thomas Pursglove, PPC for Corby, as well as Special Advisor Henry Newman.
The group were given the opportunity to meet and hear from a range of top Israeli experts, senior politicians, and journalists, as well as representatives from the Palestinian Authority. Delegates made contributions to each of the briefings, by chairing the meetings and asking questions.
On Monday the delegation headed to Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where they were accompanied by former IDF Colonel and spokesperson Miri Eisin. Eisin briefed the delegation on the complexities of the border region with Lebanon, Syria and the Golan Heights, including Hezbollah’s possession of an estimated 50,000 rockets.
November 2013: Delegation of Conservative MPs and PPCs visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority
Participants: Mark Hoban MP, Stephen Metcalfe MP, Matthew Offord MP, Alok Sharma MP, Lucy Allan PPC, Chris Green PPC, James Heappey PPC, Royston Smith PPC, Amanda Solloway PPC, Steve Bell
In November 2013, CFI led a security and business orientated delegation of 4 Conservative MPs and 5 Conservative prospective parliamentary candidates (PPC) to Israel and the West Bank.
CFI were joined by Matthew Offord MP, Stephen Metcalfe MP, Mark Hoban MP and Alok Sharma MP, Conservative Vice Chairman.
CFI Delegation at the Western Wall, Jerusalem
The group also included Lucy Allan, PPC for Telford; Chris Green, PPC for Bolton West; James Heappey, PPC for Wells; Royston Smith, PPC for Southampton Itchen; Amanda Solloway, PPC for Derby North; and Steve Bell, Vice President of the National Convention of the Conservative Party.
The group visited Israel’s northern borders with Syria and Lebanon to hear briefings from the IDF about the security threats posed by Hezbollah and Syria’s civil war.
In Jerusalem, the delegation visited the Knesset and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for meetings with Deputy Foreign Minister, Ze’ev Elkin MK, and Mark Regev, spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Matthew Offord MP with Deputy Foreign Minister, Zeev Elkin
During their visit to the Knesset, the group were welcomed by Deputy Speaker Hilik Bar MK and even received a standing ovation from the floor of the Knesset for their support of Israel.
In Tel Aviv, the group learned of Israel’s high-tech start-up scene at Google’s Campus and hear about the peaceful coexistence work bringing together Arab-Israeli, Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian children at the Peres Center for Peace.
Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould, hosted the group for dinner, before which the UK-Israel Tech Hub gave a briefing on the deepening relationship between UK and Israel high-tech start-ups.
The group heard about the problem of Palestinian Authority-sanctioned incitement against Israel during a briefing from Palestinian Media Watch.
Other activities included a visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and tours of the Security Barrier and Jerusalem’s Old City.
CFI Delegation at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial
On their visit to the Palestinian Authority, the delegation met with Dr. Nabil Shaath, senior Fatah official and veteran Palestinian negotiator, as well as his advisor Husam Zulmot in Ramallah, before visiting Rawabi, the first Palestinian planned city.
February 2013: Delegation to Israel and the Palestinian Authority
Participants: Nick de Bois MP, Mike Freer MP, Paul Maynard MP, Martin Vickers MP, John Lamont MSP, Mohammad Asghar AM, Keith Prince
In February, CFI led a security orientated delegation of 4 Conservative MPs to Israel and the West Bank
Mike Freer MP, Nick de Bois MP, Paul Maynard MP and Martin Vickers MP were joined by a number of Conservative’s from regional and local level.
These included, John Lamont MSP, the chief of the Conservative group in the Scottish Parliament, Mohammad Asghar AM, Conservative Shadow Minister for Culture in the Welsh Assembly and Keith Prince, the leader of Redbridge Council.
CFI Delegation at the Western Wall, Old City, Jerusalem
The group had a first-hand opportunity to learn about and discuss Israel’s new political landscape following the previous month’s General Election.
This included a cross-party round-table visit with newly elected MKs in the Knesset, a dinner with Dore Gold, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, and former Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon.
CFI Delegation with Dannay Ayalon, former Deputy Foreign Minister
The group also heard a political briefing from David Horowitz, the founding editor of the Time of Israel current-affairs website.
The delegation visited Sderot near the Gaza border, where they met with the Deputy Mayor to see the remains of rockets fired from Gaza, before receiving a briefing from the IDF at the Erez Crossing and a lookout over Gaza.
Mike Freer MP with rocket remains in Sderot
The delegation also featured a visit to the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim and the E1 area of East Jerusalem to receive a briefing on settlement activity from a planning expert.
The group also visited a football project in southern Israeli run by the Peres Center for Peace, which brings together young Arab and Jewish Israelis, as well as Palestinians.
Nick de Bois MP with Peres Center for Peace football project
On a visit to the West Bank, the parliamentarians met with Palestinian business people for lunch and were given a tour of Rawabi, the first Palestinian-planed city in the West Bank.
The itinerary also included a number of fact-finding visits, to the security barrier in Jerusalem to hear a briefing from its architect Danny Tirza, Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and the Old City of Jerusalem.
November 2012: Delegation to Israel and the Palestinian Authority
Participants: Stuart Andrew MP, John Howell MP, Jessica Lee MP, Paul Uppal MP
In November 2012, CFI led a security and business orientated delegation to Israel and the West Bank for four Conservative MPs.
The trip coincided with an escalation of rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel and Operation Pillar of Defence, giving the participants an immediate insight into the many security threats facing Israel. The realities of this were dramatically brought home when the group heard the air-raid sirens across Jerusalem, warning of incoming rocket fire. The group were further affected by the firing of long-range rockets into Tel Aviv; air-raid sirens prompted the bus taking them to the British Ambassador’s Residence to turn back to Jerusalem.
CFI delegation looking into Syria from Golan Heights
During a day-long visit to the north of Israel, the group travelled to the Lebanese and Syrian borders for security briefings with the IDF spokespersons unit which covered recent incidents of Syrian artillery fire into Israel.
CFI Delegation in northern Israel
Whilst in Jerusalem, the MPs had the opportunity to explore the historic Old City, were given a tour of the security barrier by the architect of the barrier, Danny Tirza, and met with Benny Begin MK, the son of former Israeli PM Menachem Begin. The group also visited a Teva Pharmaceuticals factory to see first-hand some of Israel’s ground-breaking medical research.
CFI Delegation holds memorail service at Yad Vashem
On their visit to the Palestinian Authority, the delegation visited Rawabi, the first Palestinian-planned town, which is developing at an impressive rate. The group had lunch with leading Palestinian politicians and businessmen, including Bashar Masri, the Palestinian-American entrepreneur behind the Rawabi project.
Paul Uppal, MP for Wolverhampton South West, described his experience of hearing the air raid sirens in Jerusalem in a Conservative Home article, in which he welcomed the Government’s stance that Hamas “bears principal responsibility” for the recent conflict.
John Howell, MP for Henley, wrote on The Commentator that “Israel’s right to defend itself should remain of primary concern for Israel”, citing security threats on Israel’s borders with Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza.
CFI delegation looking into Syria from Golan Heights
CFI Delegation at Yad Vashem
October 2012: Lords and Commons Cricket Club Tour to Israel
Participants: Nigel Adams MP, Bob Blackman MP, Crispin Blunt MP, Richard Graham MP, Graham Jones MP, Mark Lancaster MP, Karl McCartney MP, James Morris MP, Guy Opperman MP, John Emburey (former England cricket captain)
The Lords and Commons Cricket Club visited Israel in October 2012 for a landmark cricket tour, in co-ordination with CFI.
The extremely successful trip, which offered a completely different way of introducing cross-party parliamentarians to Israel, combined an original mix of cricket and political fact-finding.
The trip was the brainchild of team captain Conservative MP for Selby and Ainsty, Nigel Adams MP, who came up with the idea during a CFI trip to Israel in May 2011.
We were delighted to be joined by former England cricket captain John Emburey, who proved a real hit with Israel’s cricket fans.
Lords and Commons Cricket Club in Tel Aviv
The tour, which sought to highlight co-existence within Israeli society, was organised with the assistance of the Israel Cricket Association (ICA), which was awarded the Spirit of Cricket Award for their Cricket4Peace project at International Cricket Council (ICC) Development Programme Awards in 2011.
The MPs visited Be’er Sheva to see the excellent work of the Cricket4Peace project, run by the ICA and the Peres Center for Peace, which is the first cross-border peace building project to use cricket to bring together Israeli and Palestinian children from disadvantaged communities.
Nigel Adams MP giving cricket advice in Be’er Sheva
The group also visited the Bedouin town of Hura in the Negev to see the ICA’s Cross-Border Cricket Project which has proven extremely popular amongst local Bedouin children. In Hura, the group received a warm welcome in a traditional Bedouin tent and took the opportunity to visit a local school, before a series of training sessions with local students from the Hura Youth Cricket Club.
Nigel Adams MP and Guy Opperman MP with children in Hura
The Lords and Commons Cricket Club (LCCC) played a number of cricket games during the visit; against reigning national champions, Young Ashdod CC and against an invitational XI assembled by the Chairman of the ICA, Stanley Perlman, which included a number of former international Israeli cricket captains.
Lords and Commons CC with Young Ashdod CC
Richard Graham MP and James Morris MP preparing to bat against Young Ashdod CC
During the visit, the group were pleased to be able to donate cricket equipment and clothing provided by the England Cricket Board to the Hura Youth Cricket Club, the ICA and the Peres Center for Peace to help them continue their work.
Nigel Adams MP donating cricket equipment to the Israel Cricket Association
The trip also included a number of fact-finding visits, with the group visiting Sderot to hear about the effects of on-going rocket fire from Gaza, Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and the Old City of Jerusalem.
Western Wall, Old City, Jerusalem
British Ambassador to Israel, H.E. Matthew Gould, also hosted the group for a briefing, during which the group heard about the UK-Israel Tech Hub.
The cricket tour received a very positive response in the Israeli press with Haaretz and The Times of Israel publishing a number of stories.
Visit CFI’s Facebook page to see all of the photos from the tour!
28-31 May 2012: Delegation to Israel and the Palestinian Authority
Participants: Nadine Dorries MP, Rob Halfon MP, Stephen Hammond MP, Rebecca Harris MP, Phillip Hollobone MP, Sajid Javid MP, Mark Menzies MP, Sheryll Murray MP, Amber Rudd MP
In May 2012, CFI led a business and security orientated delegation to Israel and the West Bank for nine Conservative MPs, two conservative commentators and three political advisors.
The busy itinerary included a briefing with Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon and an insightful cross-party meeting with Israeli MK’s.
Delegation with Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, at the Knesset
During a day-long visit to the south, the group travelled to the town of Sderot near the Gaza border to meet with the town’s Deputy Mayor, see the different type of rockets launched from Gaza and sample the local cuisine.
IDF Briefing at Israel-Gaza border
The group also had the opportunity to visit the Erez crossing point at the Gaza border where they received security and humanitarian aid briefings.
Whilst in Jerusalem, the MPs had the opportunity to explore the historic Old City and were given a tour of the security barrier by the architect of the barrier, Danny Tirza.
MPs following the route of the security barrier and visiting a section of the barrier constructed as concrete wall (only 5%)
On their visit to the Palestinian Authority, the delegation visited the Rawabi development, which is fast taking shape and is set to become the first Palestinian-planned town; before meeting with Palestinian businessmen and politicians.
CFI Delegation at Rawabi, West Bank
Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould, hosted a briefing about the recently established UK/Israel Tech Hub and a private dinner during which he spoke warmly about the strengthening of the UK-Israel bilateral relationship, with record levels of trade and scientific exchange.
Other events on the visit included a tour around Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, a visit to electric vehicle company Better Place, a briefing session on Palestinian hate education and incitement with Palestinian Media Watch and dinner with renowned Israeli academic Asher Susser.
CFI Delegation holds memorail service at Yad Vashem
The packed agenda was clearly the result of careful thought and masses of effort beforehand to getting the visit exactly right and it certainly paid off. We met all sorts of people from leading Palestinian businessmen to senior Israeli politicians, from the man who designed the security barrier to experts in cutting edge Israeli high-tech, from hostage negotiators to thoughtful academics.
To my mind, the CFI visit was a perfect introduction to understanding the hugely complicated issues that surround Israel and its neighbours". Philip Hollobone MP
18-23 September 2011: Delegation to Israel and the Palestinian Authority
Participants: Nadhim Zahawi MP, Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Graham Evans MP, Jessica Lee MP, Angie Bray MP, Chris Kelly MP
The visit to Sderot included a whistle-stop visit to a school, during which the MPs spoke with older students about everyday life in the town. Whilst in Jerusalem, the MPs had the opportunity to explore the historic Old City and were given a tour of the security barrier by the architect of the barrier, Danny Tirza.
The MPs learned of the closeness of UK-Israel business ties at a business reception hosted by Her Majesty’s Deputy Ambassador to Israel, Mel McNulty, during which he spoke warmly about UK-Israel bilateral relations.
On their visit to the Palestinian Authority, the delegation met with Samir Abdullah, from the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute and Samir Hulileh, Chairman of the Portand Trust, before visiting Rawabi in the West Bank, which is set to become the first new Palestinian town.
Other events on the visit included a tour around Israel’s renowned Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, a visit to Better Place the electric vehicle provider and dinner with Israeli journalist, Alon Ben David.
29 May-3 June 2011: Delegation to Israel and the Palestinian Authority
Participants: Chloe Smith MP, Nigel Adams MP, Aidan Burley MP, James Morris MP, Neil Parish MP and Heather Wheeler MP
CFI led a delegation of six Conservative MPs to Israel for a business and security orientated trip during the recent Whitsun recess.
Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould, hosted a private dinner for the delegation during which he spoke warmly about UK-Israel bilateral relations.
20-25 February 2011: Delegation led by CFI Parliamentary Chairman Rt Hon James Arbuthnot MP
Participants: Guto Bebb MP; Bob Blackman MP; Phillip Lee MP; Jack LoPresti MP; Andrew Percy MP; James Wharton MP; Chris White MP
CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman, Rt Hon James Arbuthnot MP, recently led a delegation of seven newly elected MPs to Israel for a business and security orientated trip. The delegation, our first since last year’s General Election, had a schedule as fully packed as ever.
Whilst in Israel the group met with Members of the Knesset and Foreign Ministry officials. The itinerary included a briefing with Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, in addition to a round-table meeting with MK’s Daniel Ben-Simon, Danny Danon, Yoel Hasson and Anastasia Michaeli, which provided the MPs with a fascinating insight into the nature of coalition politics!
The group also spent a day exploring the north of Israel, visiting the Golan Heights and Galilee, and receiving fascinating IDF briefings on the situation inside Lebanon and Syria. Whilst in Jerusalem, the MPs had the opportunity to explore the historic Old City and were given a tour of the security barrier.
On their visit to the Palestinian Authority, the delegation met with Dr. Ghassan Khatib, Director of the Government Media Centre, and had lunch with a group of leading Palestinian businessmen. The delegation was also given a tour around Rawabi in the West Bank, which is set to become the first new Palestinian town.