This story is from November 9, 2017

Prexit: Tweet by Israeli hosts may have sealed Patel’s fate

Priti Patel, the first Indian-origin woman in a British Cabinet, was forced to quit as UK International Development Secretary for holding unauthorised meetings with Israeli ministers during a private holiday — a matter first tweeted by her Israeli hosts.
Prexit: Tweet by Israeli hosts may have sealed Patel’s fate
Priti Patel.
LONDON: Was it a ‘gaffe’ on Twitter by her Israeli hosts that led to the sacking of Priti Patel?
Patel, the first Indian-origin woman in a British Cabinet, was forced to quit as UK International Development Secretary for holding unauthorised meetings with Israeli ministers during a private holiday — a matter first tweeted by her Israeli hosts.
On August 24, Yair Lapid, leader of Israel’s Yesh Atid party, had tweeted: “Great to meet with Priti Patel.
Today. A true friend of Israel.” That was when the Foreign Office first became aware of her trip.
Last Friday, during Israel prime minister Benjamim Netanyahu’s visit to London, UK media reported that Patel had held official meetings in Israel, during a family holiday between August 13 and 25, which she paid for herself, without informing the Foreign Office, Number 10 or the British Embassy. They only came to know of her trip whilst in Israel.
Also, Patel was not accompanied by any diplomatic staff nor briefed by officials, nor did she meet Palestinian representatives, in a breach of convention, diplomatic protocol and UK policy. She was accompanied only by her Conservative peer and pro-Israel lobbyist Lord Polak, who is not only director of the Conservative Friends of Israel but also chairman, advisory board, TWC Associates LLP, whose clients include Elbit Systems Ltd, an Israel-based defence company.

Patel swiftly gave an interview to The Guardian stating that Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson knew about her trip in advance. But the Labour Party demanded an investigation claiming she broke the ministerial code, which governs the conduct of ministers.
On Monday, Patel was summoned to Downing Street to be reprimanded. Patel issued a statement detailing that she had held 12 meetings with Israeli ministers, businesses and charities, arranged by Lord Polak and these had included a meeting with Netanyahu with whom she discussed “prospects for closer collaboration between Israel and the UK” and “India” as well as meetings with public security minister Gilad Erdan and Yuval Rotem, the director general of Israel’s foreign ministry.
On her return, she commissioned departmental work on humanitarian and development partnerships between Israel and the UK.
On Tuesday, it emerged that Patel had discussed using British foreign aid for Syrian refugees being treated at an Israel army-run hospital in the Golan Heights, which Britain does not recognise as part of Israel.
Then on Wednesday, there were fresh revelations of further secret meetings — with Erdan in Parliament on September 7 and Rotem in New York on 18 September. The same day there were reports in the Jewish media she had visited the Israel military field hospital in the Golan Heights, in a breach of diplomatic protocol as ministers do not visit illegally occupied territories.
This was the final straw and May, who had been unaware that Patel had met Netanyahu for two months, ordered her return from Africa.
As 22,000 people tracked her flight from Nairobi to Heathrow, she drafted her resignation letter. A BBC helicopter followed her car as she went to Downing Street where her fate was sealed. The Witham MP will now join the backbenches.
“I recognise that I should have followed the appropriate protocols more closely in the meetings that I held and although my actions were taken with the best of intentions I am sorry for what has happened,” she said in her apology letter.
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