(Conservative Friends of Israel) British Secretary of State for Defence Gavin Williamson - Britain's Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson addressed the Conservative Friends of Israel's Annual Parliamentary Reception on Tuesday. Williamson praised Israel as a "beacon of light and hope, in a region where there is so much hatred and hurt. We shouldn't underestimate how difficult it is to keep that light bright and burning." Speaking of his visit to the country as a teenager, Williamson said: "I didn't quite know what to expect of Israel. What I found was a liberal, free, exciting country that was so at ease with itself, a country that absorbed and welcomed so many people. That made an enormous impression upon me." Williamson condemned the often "completely unreasonable...sheer simple hatred" channeled towards Israel. "If we are not there to stand up for a country, whose views and ideals are so close, or are simply our own, what are we as a nation? What are we in politics, if we cannot accept and celebrate the wonderful blooming of democracy that is Israel." "Britain and Israel have an amazing relationship....It's a relationship of partners. We learn a lot from Israel and I hope that Israeli forces also [learn] a little from us. It's a partnership of equals. A partnership of friends." "Britain will always be there to work with you, support you, and be one of your closest and best friends. Our relationship with [Israel] is the cornerstone of so much of what we do in the Middle East."
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