Richard Pater, at The Blogs

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Mar 24, 2021, 8:01 PM

Whoever the prime minister is, UK-Israel ties will become stronger

View over the Israeli coast from an RAF plane which took part in a flyover over Tel Aviv to mark Israel's 70th birthday Credit: @UKinIsrael on Twitter via Jewish News

The result is still too close to call, but we should be reassured of one thing: whoever forms the next government in Jerusalem will be welcome in London — when it is safe to travel. Both countries remain heavily invested in the mutually beneficial bilateral relationship, be it trade, a...

Jan 15, 2021, 2:16 PM

Insulting to the Apartheid struggle, all Israelis and Palestinians

A Palestinian man is helped by his son as he receives a vaccination against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as Israel continues its national vaccination drive, in East Jerusalem December 23, 2020. REUTERS/Ammar Awad via Jewish News

The Guardian’s reporting of B’Tselem’s ludicrous claims that Israel is an undemocratic, apartheid state is unhelpful to building peace and understanding in the Middle East. I presume B’Tselem takes their inspiration from a core Jewish value, found in the first chapter of the Old Testament, that...

Sep 16, 2020, 1:33 PM

The London genesis of the Abraham Accords

Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of Bahrain, Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of the State of Israel, U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates sign papers during the Abraham Accords Signing Ceremony at The White House on September 15, 2020, in Washington, DC. (Oliver Contreras/SIPA USA via Jewish News)

In an interview in the Israeli media last weekend, it was Tony Blair who revealed that back in 2015 he first introduced Prime Minister Netanyahu’s trusted consigliere Yitzhak Molcho to an Emirati cabinet minister in London. The meeting went well and that gradually led to...

Mar 3, 2020, 5:10 PM

Biggest battles are still ahead for energised Bibi

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hugs his wife Sara after first exit poll results for the Israeli elections at his party's headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Feb. 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit via Jewish News)

It was widely commented that one of the greatest challenges ahead of Israel’s third elections would be voter apathy. In the end, this proved inaccurate as over 71 percent turnout was recorded, the largest in over 20 years. Here in Jerusalem, the municipality offered voters...

Apr 10, 2019, 3:05 PM

King Bibi continues to reign

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casts his vote during Israel's parliamentary election in Jerusalem April 9, 2019. Photo by: Emil Salman-JINIPIX via Jewish News

Veteran Israeli commentator Nahum Barnea likes to compare Israeli elections with the old joke from the British Army during the First World War. After several weeks of tough fighting the commander gathers his troops and tells them there is good news and bad news. The...

Jul 27, 2017, 12:49 PM

Jordan alliance is key

The terror attack this month on the Temple Mount that killed two Druze policemen should be viewed as a strategic attack. It was significant in that it was carried out by Arabs with Israeli citizenship and included unprecedented desecration of the Temple Mount, by bringing...

Mar 27, 2016, 3:36 PM

Attending AIPAC’s largest ever conference

This week I had the pleasure of attending the annual AIPAC policy conference in Washington DC. There were three messages that were guaranteed to meet with strong approval from the AIPAC crowd. Bipartisan political support, unbreakable bilateral relations and concrete security guarantees for Israel. Oh,...

Aug 7, 2015, 3:38 PM

Promote tolerance in education systems

Soul-searching demands more than words. Last weekend thousands returned to public squares in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other towns to demonstrate their rejection of hatred following the two deadly hate crimes which shocked the country. Politicians from across the political spectrum quickly denounced ‘Jewish terrorism’....

Jun 9, 2014, 3:39 PM

It’s sad that it takes a kidnapping to unite Israel

t’s been a difficult week here in Israel. As I write, the country hangs on for a tangible development, refusing to rule out the possibility the kidnapped boys will be found alive and well. A right-wing friend of mine tweeted some days ago: “The main...

Jan 17, 2014, 4:32 PM

Sharon’s image transformed from bulldozer to grandfather of the nation

On Monday, Arik Sharon was buried next to his beloved wife Lily on Anemone Hill in the grounds of Sycamore farm, in the southern Israel. Described as a man who ‘had the quality of leadership in abundance’ by former Prime Minister and Middle East envoy...

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About Me

Richard is a political analyst and the Director of BICOM in Israel (Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre)