Britain’s new envoy to Israel: ‘This is a job I’ve always wanted to do!’

Neil Wigan, Britain;s new Ambassador to Israel

Jenni Frazer writes in Times of Israel, “Britain’s new ambassador to Israel, Neil Wigan, can barely contain his excitement at the prospect of returning to Tel Aviv, where he served at the embassy’s political attache between 2002 and 2006. “I had a fantastic time the first time I was there, and I always wanted to go back”, says the ambassador. A fantastic time is an understatement: he met his Israeli wife, Yael Banaji, while serving in Tel Aviv, and the couple, who now have two sons, are really looking forward to their posting.”…

““I was there during the second Intifada, and the disengagement from Gaza. The embassy was very focused on the peace process and the conflict. Now the embassy’s work is much wider and broader than that. We do a lot of work on British and Israeli collaboration between universities, on hi-tech collaboration… the commercial agenda is much more important. We’ve got a much closer security relationship, and we do a lot more with Israel in the region than we used to. The job has become more interesting, more modern and more sophisticated”.”…

Trade ties between the UK and Israel are growing strongly, particularly in the technology sector

“As far as Mr Wigan is concerned, Israeli companies don’t seem to be waiting for the Brexit shoe to drop in terms of their relationship with Britain. “Trade went up by 15percent last year, $10billion in bilateral trade for the first time ever, and there are more Israeli companies investing in Britain since [2016] referendum than before it. I’ve been round British banks and other companies who are really interested in working with Israeli start-ups. And there are big Israeli companies like Elbit which are looking to strengthen their presence in the UK. So actually Brexit does not seem to be making much of a difference”.

“He believes, he says, that “Britain is a natural partner for choice” with Israel, and will probably focus on getting Israelis to look at working with Britain rather than the US. But he diplomatically sidesteps when asked about following in the American footsteps and moving his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.” (more…)