Civil Service bias against Israel is now undeniable

Excerpt

The Middle East is once again in flames, with Iranian proxies active across the region and Tehran attacking British bases and allies. Yet at this very same moment, Foreign Office staff attended a party celebrating the ideological revolution that gave birth to that cruel, hateful regime. Even if no political message was intended, the symbolism could scarcely have been worse.

Downing Street brushed off the event as “standard practice”, even defending it as part of maintaining diplomatic relations. Of course, diplomacy requires engagement with unpleasant governments, it does not require celebrating the founding mythology of a hostile one.

Edmund Fitton-Brown is a former UK ambassador to Yemen, and former UN coordinator. He is currently a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.