UK's Intelligence Reliance on Israel Contrasts with Sanctions
A significant intelligence operation by Israel, which thwarted a Hezbollah bomb plot in London in 2015, has resurfaced as a point of contention between the UK and Israel. In September 2015, British security services, including MI5 and London police, raided five properties in northwest London, seizing over three tons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in explosives. A man was arrested but later released without charge. While the British government, including then-Prime Minister David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May, was aware of the incident, the details remained classified from Parliament.
In 2019, the UK officially designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in its entirety, a move supported by intelligence that included the 2015 London discovery. British Home Secretary Sajid Javid alluded to "secret intelligence" in Parliament, and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace briefed the opposition leader, with details later emerging in the Daily Telegraph that attributed the initial tip to a "foreign government." A senior Israeli official confirmed to Israeli public broadcaster Kan that Israel, specifically the Mossad intelligence agency, provided the crucial information.
This revelation comes amidst recent UK government actions, such as Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's announcement of a ban on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, framed as a "reset" in relations. This has prompted calls from UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for the UK to suspend intelligence cooperation with Israel. However, other UK officials, like Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, have emphasized Israel's continued importance as a security ally.
The article highlights other instances of Israeli intelligence benefiting the UK, including a 2017 operation against ISIS that led to flight restrictions on laptops, and the use of Israeli Hermes 450 drones by the British military in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013. It also mentions ongoing joint efforts to thwart Iranian operations targeting individuals in the UK. Despite these contributions, the parliamentary discussion on Hezbollah in 2019 did not acknowledge Israel's role.
Israeli officials have reacted strongly to the UK's recent moves, with President Isaac Herzog calling the settlement trade ban a "serious miscalculation" and other ministers suggesting reciprocal actions. The article argues that while past Israeli threats against countries taking anti-Israel stances have not materialized due to intelligence-sharing alliances like "Five Eyes," the current situation warrants a re-evaluation of intelligence cooperation, suggesting that if the UK redefines its relationship with Israel, Israel should reconsider its intelligence sharing.
