Cameron opposes calls for Israel boycotts in Knesset speech

British prime minister David Cameron has urged Israel to pursue a peace deal with Palestinians that could mean "an end of all conflict" in the Middle East.

On his first visit to the country as prime minister, Mr Cameron backed the current drive led by US secretary of state John Kerry to rekindle the peace process by persuading Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to agree an outline for a final deal by the end of April.

In a speech to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, Mr Cameron set out his vision of the dividends which peace could deliver to their country, not only in terms of security, but also justice, prosperity and dignity for both sides.

Describing himself as a prime minister whose belief in Israel is “unbreakable” and whose commitment to its security is “rock solid”, Mr Cameron said he would always defend the country’s right to defend its citizens against attack.

He promised he would oppose any calls for boycotts, whether economic, trade or academic, designed to isolate Israel.

As Mr Netanyahu greeted Mr Cameron to the Knesset, there was a walkout by a handful of MPs from religious parties, and his welcome speech was repeatedly interrupted by heckles from political opponents, apparently directed at the Israeli prime minister rather than his visitor.

Mr Cameron revealed his family tree includes a Jewish great-great-grandfather, Emile Levita, who came from Germany to Britain 150 years ago, and another ancestor, Elijah Levita, who wrote what is thought to have been the first ever Yiddish novel.

He highlighted his government's action to counter anti-semitism in the UK, such as the decision to bar the entry of French comedian Dieudonne M'bala M'bala, who sparked controversy when West Bromwich Albion footballer Nicolas Anelka made his notorious "quenelle" gesture at a Premiership match.

He said he had blocked efforts to ban the traditional Shechita kosher slaughter practices, telling the Knesset: “On my watch, Shechita is safe in the UK.”

As he urged Israeli MPs to look forwards and work for a peaceful future, Mr Cameron said the message from Britain was “Simply this: We’ll be with you every step of the way.”

Mr Cameron said: “We all yearn for a lasting and secure peace between Israel and its neighbours.

“Britain fully supports the great work that American secretary of state John Kerry has been leading. And we believe that in prime minister Netanyahu and president Abbas you have leaders who want peace too.

“We back the compromises needed - including the halt to settlement activity and an end to Palestinian incitement too.

“And we recognise the difficult and courageous decisions both sides are taking, not least with prime minister Netanyahu’s decision to release terrorist prisoners, with all the anguish that can bring for affected families.”

He said he wanted to encourage Israelis to focus on imagining “what this land would be like if a two-state solution was actually achieved”.

“Imagine Israel - like any other democratic nation - finally treated fairly and normally by all,” he said.

"On security, imagine a peace deal that would leave Israel more secure, not less secure. Not a temporary deal, broken by Hamas firing rockets at you or Iranian proxies smuggling weapons through the Jordan Valley. But a proper lasting peace that allows a strong moderate Palestinian government to end the fears of a failed state on Israel's border.

“A deal that means an end of all claims - and an end of all conflict.”

Mr Cameron said that a final peace deal would deliver “extraordinary” economic benefits for Israel and the Palestinians by enabling them to work together and forge trade and business links with neighbouring Arab states and elsewhere in the world.

And he added: “This is about justice for two peoples. Dignity for the Jewish people and yes, dignity for the Palestinian people too.

“Generations of Jewish and Palestinian children for once growing up in hope not fear.

“For Israelis, a life free from the everyday fear of terror. For the Palestinians, finally, the chance to live autonomously in a state of their own.

“Imagine if you could look your children and grandchildren in the eye and know that your hope could become their reality.

“These are the dividends of peace that I long for in Israel. And I will do everything I can do help bring them about.”

Rejecting calls for boycotts of Israel, Mr Cameron said: “Britain opposes boycotts. Whether it’s trade unions campaigning for the exclusion of Israelis or universities trying to stifle academic exchange, Israel’s place as a homeland for the Jewish people will never rest on hollow resolutions passed by amateur politicians...

“It is your destiny. Delegitimising the State of Israel is wrong. It’s abhorrent. And together we will defeat it.”

Mr Cameron said he shared Israel's "deep scepticism and great concern" about Iran and said Britain would ensure Tehran is never allowed to achieve nuclear-armed capability.

He insisted Israel was not the cause of the “poisonous ideology” of Islamist extremism that was fuelling terrorism across the region and across the world.

“Islamist extremism is a warped and barbaric ideology that tries to set our societies against each other by radicalising young Muslims all across the world,” said the prime minister.

“We are in the middle of a generational struggle against a poisonous ideology which is an extreme distortion of the Islamic faith - and which holds that terror and mass murder are not only acceptable but necessary.

“I am convinced we will be fighting Islamic extremism for the rest of my political lifetime.

“We must tackle this poisonous thinking at home and abroad and resist the ideologues’ attempts to divide the world into a clash of civilisations.”

Press Association