2019 YEAR IN REVIEW

PRIME MINISTER WINS HISTORIC ELECTION VICTORY

2019 ended on a high for the entire Conservative family with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s historic general election victory. Team CFI spent five weeks travelling across the country campaigning in support of Conservative candidates.

Come rain or shine, the CFI team was out leafleting, canvassing and seeing the political movement on the ground. From Wales to Yorkshire and Derbyshire to London, we were busy travelling in support of as many as 18 Conservative candidates, meeting thousands of people across the country to discuss the Conservative Party’s vision for a brighter, secure future and to keep Jeremy Corbyn out of No 10.

In North London, the Party defied expectations by retaining the key seats of Chipping Barnet, Finchley and Golders Green, Hendon, and Harrow East, where CFI and its activists had campaigned in support of longtime friends , , Matthew Offord and .

Since the election, Prime Minister Boris Johnson underlined in the Queen’s Speech debate that the Government will stop public bodies from developing their “own pseudo foreign policy against countries” and ban them from boycotting Israeli goods.

CFI would like to thank all our brilliant volunteers who joined us around the country for their dedication. We congratulate all Conservative MPs on their election and look forward to working with them in the years ahead.

@CFoI Conservative Friends of Israel CFI Youtube cfi_uk 1 UK-ISRAEL RELATIONS: A LOOK AT THE PAST DECADE

The past decade has been a remarkable one for the UK-Israel partnership, with both countries celebrating milestone occasions and flourishing ties. Whether in our record levels of trade and investment; our cooperation in science and technology; or the work we do together to keep our people safe, the UK-Israel friendship has gone from strength to strength.

CFI played a role in strengthening the partnership, taking over 250 Conservative parliamentarians and activists to Israel on delegations since 2010.

Here are some key moments Then-Prime Minister and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the past 10 years… celebrate Balfour Declaration centenary

2011 2017 The UK Israel Tech Hub was launched Theresa May invited Israel’s Prime by the British Embassy in Israel and Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to was the first of its kind in the world to London, where the UK and Israel promote partnerships in technology celebrated the centenary of the and innovation between countries. Balfour Declaration. The Hub has generated 175 tech partnerships in deals worth £85 million 2018 since it was established. HRH The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, travelled to Israel for the 2013 first official Royal visit in the Jewish BIRAX, the Britain Israel Research and State’s 70-year history. HRH reflected Academic Exchange Partnership, was on the country’s “essential vibrancy” launched in 2013 to fund cutting-edge and said: “The ties between our two research to tackle some of the world’s countries have never been stronger”. most challenging conditions and 2019 diseases. The initiative has awarded Then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid over £13 million to more than 20 made an historic visit to Jerusalem’s research projects bringing together Western Wall. scientists in Britain and Israel. 2019 2014 Self-declared “passionate Zionist” David Cameron addressed Israel’s Boris Johnson became Britain’s new Knesset in Jerusalem, in his landmark Prime Minister, pledging to support visit to Israel as Prime Minister. Israel and the Jewish community.

2016 2019 The UK and Israel strengthened Israeli exports to the UK grew by 286% cyber security collaboration in the past decade, figures from Israel’s with the launch of the UK-Israel Foreign Trade Administration revealed. HRH The Duke of Cambridge with beach cyber-physical initiative. volleyball players in Tel Aviv Bilateral trade between the countries exceeds a record $10 billion.

@CFoI Conservative Friends of Israel CFI Youtube cfi_uk 2 DELEGATIONS

CFI delegation lay a wreath at CFI Parliamentary Chairman and CFI delegates visit Magen David Adom Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Vice-Chairmen at the Western Wall

JULY 2019 AUGUST 2019 DECEMBER 2019

CFI coordinated a delegation to Israel CFI Parliamentary Chairman CFI coordinated a delegation of with 10 Conservative Prospective (Commons) Rt. Hon. Stephen three Conservative parliamentarians Parliamentary Candidates (PPCs), Crabb MP led a delegation of to attend the Annual International many of whom were visiting for the five Conservative MPs, three Institute for Strategic Leadership first time. Seven of the candidates Conservative Lords and two Dialogue in Jerusalem, bringing have now become MPs. The itinerary Prospective Parliamentary together legislators, business leaders featured a series of high-level meetings Candidates (both now MPs) to Israel. and opinion formers from the UK, with Israeli politicians, journalists, The delegation also travelled to Israel, and Australia. The group entrepreneurs and academics, as well the West Bank, meeting PLO Chief included CFI Parliamentary Chairman as strategic briefings and visits to Negotiator Saeb Erekat in Ramallah (Lords) Rt. Hon. The Lord Pickles, and organisations that promote peaceful and visiting the first Palestinian- CFI Vice-Chairmen Andrew Percy MP coexistence, giving the group a planned city in Rawabi. Mr Crabb and John Howell OBE MP. The group first-hand look at the latest situation and CFI Honorary President Lord had a powerful visit to MATI – the in Israel. The group visited Save a Polak CBE welcomed Boris Johnson Jerusalem Business Development Child’s Heart in Holon, where they met as Prime Minister and commented Center in East Jerusalem to learn children from developing countries on the future of UK-Israel relations in about the work they do to support around the world receiving life-saving interviews with the Jerusalem Post Palestinian entrepreneurs start and heart surgery. Around half of over and i24NEWS while on the visit. expand businesses. 5,000 children who have received the treatment are Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank.

CFI IN PARLIAMENT

CFI had another busy year in 77 backbench MPs and Lords made Seven MPs called on the Government Parliament as we worked with many over 160 contributions in support to recognise the plight of over Conservative parliamentarians to of Israel and in condemnation of 850,000 Jewish refugees who campaign on key issues. antisemitism in 2019. were forced to flee their historic communities in the Middle East Dozens of Conservatives in the and North Africa (June), in the first House of Commons welcomed debate of its kind, led by Rt. Hon. the Government’s proscription Theresa Villiers MP. of Hezbollah in its entirety in February. The UK previously Throughout the year, numerous only proscribed Hezbollah’s parliamentarians raised their Rt. Hon. Theresa Villiers MP leads ‘military wing’, separating this concerns about Iran’s regional Jewish refugees debate from its so-called ‘political wing’. aggression and support for terror.

@CFoI Conservative Friends of Israel CFI Youtube cfi_uk 3 SAJID JAVID MAKES LANDMARK VISIT TO WESTERN WALL

Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid visited Jerusalem’s Western Wall in July 2019 while Home Secretary, the first by a British Government Minister in almost 20 years. It was part of a three-day visit to Israel and the West Bank, where he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli and Palestinian political leaders. At CFI’s Conference Reception in Manchester in October, Mr Javid reflected on his visit, stating: “It shouldn’t have taken two decades, but I know that many more Conservative Cabinet Ministers will Rt. Hon. Sajid Javid MP at the Western Wall follow on from that”. NOTABLE EVENTS

CFI Parliamentary Reception CFI Conservative leadership husting events CFI Informed Magazine 2019/20 JANUARY-MARCH 2019 APRIL-JULY 2019 AUGUST-DECEMBER 2019

CFI’s 2019 began with our Annual During the spring months, as the At the end of the summer, CFI published Parliamentary Reception in Conservative leadership contest heated its new edition of Informed Magazine. January, which was attended by up, CFI was delighted to host husting In his letter to Informed readers, Prime over 250 supporters, including 50 events with both of the final candidates Minister Boris Johnson celebrated the parliamentarians, and addressed by - Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt - UK-Israel relationship, emphasising that then-Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, where they addressed hundreds of CFI he is “proud to be a friend of Israel”. In then-Conservative Party Chairman supporters. It was great to see so many Parliament, CFI hosted a briefing session Brandon Lewis and Ambassador to Israel, of our supporters at the events and the for Conservative parliamentary staffers, and H.E. Mark Regev. Mr Hunt celebrated excellent questions made them standout CFI’s Honorary President and Parliamentary the “great friendship” between the UK occasions. CFI hosted a number of events Chairmen met with Israel’s Foreign Affairs and Israel, and recognised that Britain’s for parliamentarians, including a briefing Minister Israel Katz. CFI had another strong 1939 White Paper capping immigration for Conservative MPs in Parliament with showing at Conservative Party Conference to Palestine was a “black moment” in former IDF head of combat intelligence in Manchester, where as many as 500 history. In Parliament, Justice Elyakim Miri Eisin, who gave insights about security Conservative activists attended CFI’s Rubinstein, former Vice President of the challenges facing Israel, and a group of packed Conservative Party Conference Israeli Supreme Court, spoke to cross- senior leaders from the Anti-Defamation Reception to hear the Chancellor of the party parliamentarians at a briefing event League (ADL) for a range of meetings Exchequer, Sajid Javid, as well as six other chaired by then-Chair of the Foreign in Parliament discussing rising levels of Cabinet members and senior Ministers. The Affairs Select Committee Tom Tugendhat antisemitism and extremism in the UK and event came at the end of another successful MBE MP. The following month, CFI worldwide. Cross-party parliamentarians Conservative Party Conference for CFI, as Parliamentary Chairman (Lords) Rt. Hon. also marked the 40th anniversary of the we signed up as many as 150 new members The Lord Pickles hailed the UK-USA- Egypt-Israel peace treaty at a Foreign at our exhibition stand. The end of the year Israel trilateral relationship in an address Affairs Committee panel discussion, with was dominated by the General Election, to the American Israel Public Affairs speakers including H.E. Mark Regev, Israel’s in which Team CFI spent five weeks Committee’s (AIPAC) annual Policy Ambassador to the UK, and H.E. Tarek campaigning and coordinating Action Days Conference in Washington, D.C. Adel, Egypt’s Ambassador to the UK. for a Conservative Party victory.

@CFoI Conservative Friends of Israel CFI Youtube cfi_uk 4