Restore Britain party leader questions support for Israel over reported Falklands stance

The leader of Britain's far-right Restore Britain party said Saturday that the UK was under no obligation to provide Israel with unconditional support, following a report that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered his government to back Argentina in its sovereignty dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands. "Why should Britain be expected to defend Israel's national interests if Israel's leadership refuses to respect ours?" Rupert Lowe wrote on US social media platform on X. His remarks came after The Telegraph reported earlier Saturday that Netanyahu had ordered Israel to support Argentina's position on the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Islas Malvinas. "Britain is not obliged to give any foreign government unconditional political or military support," the leader of the far-right Restore Britain party said. He argued that British foreign policy should be guided by national interests rather than commitments to other countries. "British interests, and British interests only," he said, describing that as his party's position. "The Falkland Islands are British, and will remain British," he added. The dispute has recently drawn renewed attention after Argentina asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) last week to intervene and block British offshore oil development around the islands. The Sea Lion project is a major deepwater offshore oil development located about 220 kilometers (137 miles) north of the Falkland Islands. In 2013, the people of the Falkland Islands voted overwhelmingly in favor of remaining a UK Overseas Territory. Of 1,517 votes cast in the referendum, 1,513 were in favor and three against.