Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a meeting of the Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) Monday.
Lapid stated at his meeting with Johnson: “The struggle between law-abiding democracies and murderous terrorist organizations is not a struggle between narratives. It is a struggle between good and evil. Too many people have concluded that the strong are always wrong, and the weak are always right. Even when the strong are law-abiding democracies like Britain or Israel.”
“The new President of Iran, "The Butcher of Tehran," who sentenced thousands to death, said in his first speech: "I have always defended human rights." The terrorists of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who slaughter children sleeping in their beds in Israel, claim to be "freedom fighters." Hezbollah members, active in the slaughter of half a million Syrian citizens, speak of "tolerance." They assume that in democratic societies, everyone will simply freeze in the face of those lofty words. We must prove them wrong. Not all ideas are equally worthy of respect,” Lapid said.
“The connection between Britain and Israel is not a symbolic connection, but a deep, practical friendship between political and security partners, who see eye-to-eye on most of the geopolitical issues that preoccupy our world. This friendship between us was most recently reflected in the government's decision to proscribe all of Hamas as a terrorist organization.
“Our friendship will be reflected in the coming months in our shared determination to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, at all costs. Israel will always protect itself, but we know we are not alone. And our hand is outstretched for peace," Lapid said.
“Today, the Foreign Secretary and I launched the Strategic Partnership between the UK and Israel. A partnership based on our shared values, and our shared interests. We share a friendship between two ancient peoples, a collective memory, and the knowledge that the important things in life... are not easily achieved.”