UK chancellor: London mayor should befriend Israel-This is how it's done

Fri Mar 2, 2012 6:22AM GMT

British Chancellor George Osborne says the mayor of London should be someone, who is ‘like me, a lifelong friend of Israel.’

Osborne’s comments were made at a dinner of Community Security Trust at the Grosvenor House Hotel as he officially announced his support for the incumbent mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who is to vie with Ken Livingstone, known for his support for Palestine.

Asserting that the leader of London should remain committed to securing the interests of Israel, Osborne said that Boris has already proved to be ‘like me, a lifelong friend of Israel.’

Furthermore, Osborne said that the British government remains committed to the protection of Israeli officials.

“Our coalition government has legislated on universal jurisdiction to make sure that Israeli officials and ministers can come to this country free from fear of politically motivated attempts to arrest them,” said Osborne.

The universal jurisdiction, to which Osborne referred, enables a country to prosecute officials from other countries on charges of human rights violations and crimes against humanity irrespective of where they have committed such crimes.

Moreover, Osborne announced that Britain would continue to hinder Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, saying “Israel has us as their staunch ally” in this regard.

Iran is a signatory to the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has categorically announced that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Meanwhile, the Israeli regime is not a signatory to the NPT and is widely believed to be the sole possessor of a nuclear arsenal in the Middle East with over 200 nuclear warheads.