''I am well known for being a strong friend of Israel, but I have to say the first time I visited Jerusalem and had a proper tour around that wonderful city and saw what had happened with the effective encirclement of East Jerusalem — occupied East Jerusalem — it is genuinely shocking," British Prime Minister David Cameron told parliament member Imran Hussain Feb. 24, when asked what Britain is doing to prevent the violation of human rights by Israel in the territories. Cameron immediately became the target of Israeli public relations artillery. It didn’t bother Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat that Cameron is considered Israel's true friend. 

Netanyahu, instead of responding diplomatically and explaining the necessity of the checkpoints in the current round of violence, preferred to hit Cameron — who does not hesitate to confront Israel’s harshest critics — below the belt. “My friend David Cameron … seems to have forgotten a few basic facts about Jerusalem. … Only Israeli sovereignty guarantees the Arab residents of the city roads, clinics, employment and all the other trappings of normal life that their brethren do not enjoy elsewhere in the Middle East,” Netanyahu sniped. 

Barkat, too, chose to insult Cameron. “The quality of life for East Jerusalem residents is constantly progressing and is far superior to the quality of life for residents in any of our neighboring countries, certainly better than at the time of the British Mandate in Israel,” he said. 

Cameron visited Israel in March 2014 and gave a speech at the Knesset. Since the end of the mandate, no official British representative, and certainly not one at the rank of prime minister, has ever been heard saying such warm things about Israel and publicly declaring his commitment to its security from the podium of the Knesset. To put the offensive Israeli response in perspective, we should return to the main points of Cameron’s speech.