Israel's Netanyahu meets Boris Johnson amid protests

Over a hundred demonstrators staged a protest outside Downing Street against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s surprise visit to the United Kingdom on Thursday.

Netanyahu met with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson amid a heated campaign ahead of Israeli legislative elections on 17 September, in which the premier hopes to secure a comfortable majority for his right-wing alliance.

Ahead of the visit, Netanyahu warned against talks with Iran, as tensions over the Iranian nuclear deal with western powers, including the UK, have increased as Washington ramps up sanctions against Tehran.

“The UK government should not be rolling out the red carpet to a man whose government is continuing an illegal occupation of Palestinian land and is guilty of war crimes,” Ben Jamal, director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, told Middle East Eye.

Earlier Thursday, Haaretz reported that the purpose of the trip to London was to meet face-to-face with US Defence Secretary Mark Esper to discuss Israel’s security, while the meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was “little more than a formality”.

“I can’t believe that Boris Johnson, who was unelected, is extending a warm welcome to a criminal,” said Lucy Nichols, a 19-year-old student.

Netanyahu is also expected to meet with US Vice President Mike Pence in London later Thursday, according to Haaretz.

Standing on a pavement facing Downing Street, the official residence of office of the British prime minister, the protesters chanted “free, free Palestine”, and held banners calling for the end of the Israeli occupation.

 “Netanyahu is partly here for electioneering purposes. He’s here to try to cement this alliance and start more trouble in the Middle East but Johnson should not be complicit in that,” Jamal said.

The pro-Palestine protesters were separated by the police from a handful of people who showed up with Israeli flags to voice support for Netanyahu.

The prime ministers discussed Iran and the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis during the brief half-hour meeting, Haaretz reported.

“We have the challenge of Iran's aggression and terrorism, and I'd like to talk to you about how we can work together to counter these things for the benefit of peace”, Netanyahu told Johnson according to the Israeli leader’s press office.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said the leaders agreed on the need to stop Iran’s “destabilising” behaviour.

En route to London, Netanyahu warned against talks with Iran, saying world powers should instead increase the pressure on the Islamic Republic.

His comments come a day after US President Donald Trump said that a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York is possible.

“They would like to be able to solve their problem," he said.

In Tehran, meanwhile, Rouhani issued an order to lift all limits on his country’s nuclear research and development programme, after the latest round of US unilateral sanctions on Iranian oil exports went into action.

Iran has repeatedly said that its nuclear programme is for “peaceful purposes only".

Since 2015, Iran and three European countries Britain, Germany and France, along with the US, signed a milestone nuclear accord. But last May, US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and began reimposing US sanctions on Iran.