UK ‘disappointed’ Netanyahu canceled planned meeting with May

The UK’s deputy ambassador to Israel, Tony Kay, on Monday expressed “disappointment” that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled a planned meeting with his British counterpart, Theresa May, in protest of London’s support for a UN Security Council resolution that called on Israel to halt its settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Netanyahu’s office had denied reports on Sunday night that he had canceled a meeting with May next month at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, saying that no meeting had been set. But the deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv told The Times of Israel there had been plans for a meeting, though Jerusalem had not informed London it planned to cancel the meeting.

“This is a disappointment that the Government of Israel has announced that Prime Minister Netanyahu does not want to have a conversation with Prime Minister May,” Kay said.

Speaking to The Times of Israel, Kay expressed hopes that Netanyahu and May would still meet at the Swiss economic summit or elsewhere.

“Davos is an opportunity where many world leaders attend and our prime minister would have conversations with many world leaders, including hopefully Prime Minister Netanyahu,” he said. “We remain hopeful and optimistic that such a conversation can take place at the prime ministerial level, whether it’s at Davos or elsewhere.”

Israeli media outlets reported Sunday that Netanyahu was scheduled to meet with May at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos between 17-20 January. The meeting would not go ahead because Britain, along with 13 other members of the Security Council voted in favour of Resolution 2334, which the prime minister described as “shameful.”