BICOM

Israeli political leaders from across the spectrum paid tribute to Margaret Thatcher, following announcements of her death yesterday.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called her “truly a great leader, a woman of principle, of determination, of conviction, of strength” and said that she was “a staunch friend of Israel and the Jewish people” who, he added, “inspired a generation of political leaders.” Israel’s President Shimon Peres called Thatcher “a true and dedicated friend of Israel, who stood with us in times of crisis and used her influence to help us in trying to make peace.” He also said that she was “an inspiration for other leaders.” Peres, who was Israel’s prime minister when Thatcher became the first serving UK prime minister to visit the Jewish state in 1986, also highlighted her efforts in facilitating regional peace, saying “in the late 1980s, she stood as a mediator and a source of wisdom for me and the King of Jordan.”

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni highlighted Thatcher’s role as a female leader, saying “One could disagree with her regarding her worldview, but it is impossible not to appreciate her impressive ability in the midst of a male political culture.” Meanwhile, former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman recalled Thatcher’s 1986 visit, saying “I remember well the tears she shed on her visit to Yad Vashem [Holocaust Memorial] and the empathy she expressed for our nation’s past and future challenges.”

Thatcher is widely regarded as having been an admirer of Israel and said in her memoirs, “The political and economic construction of Israel against huge odds and bitter adversaries is one of the heroic sagas of our age. They really made the desert bloom.” Her strong connection with the British Jewish community was underpinned, among other things, by the positive relationship she has with the significant Jewish population in the Finchley constituency she represented.