UK PM Liz Truss assures Israeli lobby group of being 'huge Zionist'

British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced to an audience of Israel supporters that she is a "huge Zionist" and wants to strengthen London's relationship with Tel Aviv.

Speaking at a Conservative Friends of Israel event during the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Truss expressed her unwavering support for Israel.

“I am so pleased to be here for the first time at the CFI event as your prime minister", she said on Sunday.

“As you know I am a huge Zionist, I am a huge supporter of Israel, and I know that we can take the UK-Israel relationship from strength to strength.”

Last month, Truss told Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid that she is considering moving the British embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The two prime ministers met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York City late September, as news of Truss's controversial statements were discussed.

Most embassies are based in Tel Aviv, rather than Jerusalem, which Israel considers its capital, due to the international view that no party has sovereignty over the holy city.

"I thank my good friend, British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who announced that she is positively considering moving the British Embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel - we will continue to strengthen the partnership between the countries," Lapid wrote on Twitter at the time.

"As you know, I'm a huge Zionist. I'm a huge supporter of Israel."

British Prime Minister Liz Truss seeks to ingratiate herself with the lobby group, the Conservative Friends of Israel.pic.twitter.com/vuykMHSBjS

— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) October 3, 2022

Prior to her premiership, in a bid to strengthen her campaign when she was running for prime minister to replace Boris Johnson, Truss hinted to the Conservative Friends for Israel she would review moving the UK’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

She also vowed to “put a stop” to local UK councils introducing boycott, divestment and sanctions policies in solidarity with Palestine.