Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has moved to reassure supporters of Israel of the government's "unshakeable commitment" to the country, The Jewish Chronicle reported on Tuesday.
Speaking in front of a packed audience at the Conservative Friends of Israel event at the Tories' annual conference, Hammond began his address by making light of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's failure to refer to Israel by name at a similar event last week.
British Jews have voiced deep concern over Corbyn's disturbing links to a wide range of extremists, spanning far-right holocaust deniers , an anti-Semitic Christian minister and Islamist terrorist groups .
But he nevertheless accepted an invitation to speak at Labour Friends of Israel's reception, where he gave a speech in which mentioned the "siege of Gaza" and even Syrian refugees, but didn't say the word "Israel", raising the ire of one audience member, who stood up at the end of the speech and repeatedly demanded Corbyn "say the word Israel!"
