Senior Foreign Office officials pressed ahead with arrangements for a high-level delegation to visit Israel, despite ministers having formally suspended trade talks with the country, documents obtained by The Guardian reveal.
The planned visit, scheduled for late 2024, was being organised by civil servants even as official UK-Israel trade negotiations remained frozen. Internal communications show staff actively working on the trip's logistics, including meetings with Israeli government ministers.
Protocol Breach or Diplomatic Manoeuvring?
According to the leaked documents, Foreign Office staff appeared to operate on the assumption the trip would proceed regardless of the trade suspension. One official explicitly noted that the visit was "still going ahead" despite the paused negotiations.
The revelations raise significant questions about whether civil servants were acting outside ministerial guidance or if there were conflicting messages within government about the UK's approach to Israel during a sensitive political period.
Timing Raises Eyebrows in Whitehall
The planned trip's timing is particularly noteworthy, coming during an extended suspension of formal trade discussions between the two nations. The documents indicate preparations were quite advanced, suggesting a significant commitment of government resources and diplomatic capital.
Whitehall insiders have expressed concern that such actions could undermine the UK's official position and create confusion about Britain's foreign policy direction regarding Israel.
Transparency Questions Emerge
The disclosure of these documents through freedom of information requests highlights ongoing transparency issues within the Foreign Office. Critics argue that such diplomatic manoeuvring should be subject to proper parliamentary scrutiny, particularly when it appears to contradict stated government policy.
The incident is likely to fuel existing concerns about the consistency and transparency of UK foreign policy decision-making, especially regarding complex international relationships.
