Britain and Israel

Israel has had a very special connection to Britain since Foreign Secretary Balfour committed the UK in 1917 to establishing a Jewish State in the Land of Israel.

Britain’s momentous legacy in holding the Mandate for Palestine in the years leading up to the state’s formation has been celebrated in many ways. Most notably, on a walk in Israel a British tourist is likely to stroll down streets bearing familiar names: King George V Street in Tel Aviv is on the corner of Arthur Balfour Street, which leads off Allenby Street, just a stone’s throw from the Herbert Samuel Promenade.

English is widely spoken in Israel, which is home to a thriving expat community. The English-language press is thriving, with the Jerusalem Post providing particularly influential journalism. British cinema and culture are hugely popular in Israel. Through BI-ARTS, the British Council is helping to promote cooperation in the arts between Britons and Israelis and Israeli artists regularly perform in the UK’s top venues, including the Barbican. In a tribute to the greatest of British theatre, Tel Aviv’s Cameri Theatre’s 2011 repertoire includes a series of Hebrew adaptations of English plays, including Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Lucy Prebble’s ENRON.[1]

Britain and Israel are very close diplomatic allies: in 2008, PM Gordon Brown was invited to address the Knesset from its plenum. Recently, President Shimon Peres was awarded an honorary knighthood by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.