By: Gil Tanenbaum
Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was welcomed to the opening ceremony of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres Sunday morning.
This marked the first time that Bennett met with Johnson.
Naftali Bennett also met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday. This was another first meeting with a foreign leader for Bennett, since he assumed office a little over four months ago.
Bennett’s office said that he and Macron held a “good and warm private meeting.” They discussed the global and regional challenges facing Israel and France, especially Iran’s rapid progress in enriching uranium.
The Prime Minister told President Macron that Israel’s French Jewish expatriate community, in his view, holds a special place of importance in the country as they serve as a bridge between Israel and France.
There has been a significant migration to Israel of Jews from France over the past two decades. This is largely attributed to the rising numbers of anti-Semitic acts committed there and the hostility towards the French Jewish community on the part of the country’s growing Islamic immigrant community.
And Bennett also met with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday. He called Morrison a friend and supporter of Israel, saying that Israel views Australia as a “great friend.”
“I’m looking forward to strengthening our relations and as you said, there’s a vibrant and a very lively Jewish community in Melbourne and Sydney,” said Bennett.
He also invited Morrison to come visit Israel, and thanked him on behalf of Israel for Australia’s “long-standing support of Israel in the international arena.”
The two leaders, of course, also discussed ways to enhance and upgrade bilateral relations, especially regarding climate innovation.
As with President Macron, Bennett also broached the subject of the Iranian nuclear threat. Naftali Bennett asked his Australian counterpart to work toward a strong condemnation of Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors meeting that is due to take place later this month. He also requested that Australia officially declare that Hezbollah, in its entirety, is a terrorist organization. The latter is an issue that is currently on the political agenda in Australia.
“We set our pledge to zero emissions by 2050. It ought not to be a political issue,” said Bennett of his meeting with Mr. Morrison. “It’s not between left and right. It’s really for our future and I think our unique contribution is not our footprint because we’re a pretty small country. It’s really harnessing the energy of ‘the start-up nation’ to saving the planet.”
Another important world leader who met on Sunday with Mr. Bennett is the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. And after he finished his remarks to the conference, Bennett also met Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez.
(TPS)
