Welsh Government accused of ‘cosying up to the Israeli ambassador’

Conrad Landin

The Welsh Government has been accused of “cosying up to the Israeli ambassador”, after it told Israel it wanted to “strengthen” the “relationship between our two countries”.

Former First Minister Vaughan Gething wrote to Tzipi Hotovely, the Israeli Ambassador in London, on May 22 — on the same day three European countries recognised Palestinian statehood. The letter was also sent as Israeli forces repeatedly struck the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza.

Gething was replying to a letter sent by Hotovely on April 11, in which she offered her “warmest congratulations” on his accession to the top job.

The Ambassador wrote: “Wales and Israel share a strong bond rooted in mutual respect, co-operation and a shared desire for progress in various fields including technology, education and healthcare. Under your leadership, I hope that the relationship between Wales and Israel will continue to strengthen, opening new avenues for collaboration.”

Interfaith dialogue

In his reply, Gething thanked Hotovely for her “kind letter regarding my recent appointment as First Minister”, saying: “I also look forward to strengthening the relationship between our two countries.”

He went on to voice his condemnation of antisemitism in Wales, saying the Welsh Government had “sought to built interfaith dialogue via our Faith Communities Forum” since the Hamas-sponsored attack on Israel on October 7 last year, and the subsequent “conflict in Gaza”.

Gething added: “Like so many around the world, we profoundly hope a ceasefire deal can be found urgently, enabling hostages to be released, for desperately-needed aid to enter Gaza, and tensions in communities to de-escalate. In our view, there can be no security for anyone in Israel and Palestine without a long-term peace, which is fair to both Israelis and Palestinians.”

His letter was sent on the same day that Norway, Spain and Ireland announced they would formally recognise the state of Palestine. Two days before, a cross-party group of MSs called on the Government of Wales to “immediately recognise the state of Palestine as a first step in a process to enable a path to a lasting peace and two-state solution”.

Strong line

Andrew Draper, of Palestine Solidarity Campaign Cymru, said: “The Welsh Government should be taking a strong line in support of human rights in Palestine. That must entail the ending of arms sales to Israel. Cosying up to Israel’s ambassador doesn’t help that, and we hope the new First Minister takes a stronger line.”

May 22 also saw a series of Israeli attacks on the emergency department of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan hospital. Footage that day showed staff and patients, including a newborn baby, fleeing the hospital. Within two days, the hospital was declared to be “not operational” thanks to the Israeli siege.

The revelation of Gething’s letter, which was obtained under Freedom of Information laws, follows criticism of Scotland’s External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson for accepting a meeting with Hotovely’s deputy Daniela Grudsky.

Robertson subsequently apologised, saying that the meeting “was strictly limited to the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza”.

Asked if the Welsh Government still aspires to strengthen its relationship with Israel, a spokeswoman said: “The Welsh Government is clear: we want to see an immediate end to the killing, a ceasefire; we want to see an immediate significant increase in the aid that can be provided; we want to see hostages returned.”