Israeli and Jewish leaders praised Margaret Thatcher upon her death in April as a true and staunch friend of Israel and the Jewish people

When Margaret Thatcher passed away it was a great loss the Britain and the world, but in particular her loss was felt by the Jewish people around the world and more so in Israel where she is still admired and respected for her support of Israel and her staunch attitude in standing up for Israel against in the face of terrorism and the bias aimed at Israel from many quarters.  


True friend of Israel who always stood by Israel in international disputes

Israeli leaders and legislators praised the deceased former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher when she died of a stroke at age 87, speaking of her strong character and calling her a true friend of the Jewish state. Thatcher, known as the Iron Lady, piloted the UK government for 11 years.
 

Thatcher “was truly a great leader, a woman of principle, of determination, of conviction, of strength… a woman of greatness,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said upon her death. “She was a staunch friend of Israel and the Jewish people. She inspired a generation of political leaders. I send my most sincere condolences to her family and to the government and people of Great Britain.”

President Shimon Peres also offered his condolences, calling Thatcher a “friend,” and “an exceptional leader.” In a statement, the president praised her “strength of character,” saying “she served as an inspiration for other leaders. As the first female prime minister of Great Britain, she broke new ground.” Thatcher represented “vision,” the president said, noting that Thatcher was a culmination of “people” and “ideas.”

 

"She was a true and dedicated friend of Israel, who stood with us in times of crisis and used her influence to help us in trying to make peace,” the president said. “During our negotiations with Jordan in the late 1980s, she stood as a mediator and a source of wisdom for me and the king of Jordan.”

 MK Avigdor Liberman, Netanyahu’s foreign minister-designate, said the late Thatcher was a true friend of Israel. In recalling her visit to Israel — the first such visit to the Jewish state by a British PM — he said, “I remember well the tears she shed on her visit to Yad Vashem and the empathy she expressed for our nation’s past and future challenges. Margaret Thatcher was a strong and brave leader and stateswoman, who showed great foresight and was not afraid to act in the interests of her country and people.”

 

Members of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus also mourned Thatcher’s loss. Likud MK Gila Gamliel, one of the leaders of the caucus, spoke of Thatcher’s influence, saying she “was a powerful female leader and continues to influence those who followed in her footsteps. Her strength will always be an inspiration to people around the world.”

 

“Some say she was an ‘Iron Lady’; others say she was a ‘real leader,’” said Hatnua party MK Eliezer Stern. “She was someone who knew what was good for her people and was not afraid to lead them, sometimes against their own will, for the greater good.”

 

 

In the UK itself chief rabbi Lord Sacks said: "I first got to know her early on in my life when she was the local MP. She was loved and admired by many in the Jewish community who will miss her deeply. Few people in my lifetime have left such a personal imprint on British life."

 

"She was always extremely supportive and admiring of the ethos of the British Jewish community," said Vivian Wineman, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. "This close relationship began when her family took in a young Austrian Jewish refugee from Nazism in the late 1930s. When she entered Parliament as MP for Finchley, a very Jewish constituency, her relationship with local Jewish institutions blossomed and continued throughout her illustrious career as Prime Minister.  

 

"She counted a number of Jews among her closest advisers and confidants, and at one point nearly a quarter of her Cabinet were of Jewish origins. She also greatly admired the late Chief Rabbi Dr Immanuel Jakobovits whom she elevated to the House of Lords. She was unquestionably a great statesman of the later 20th Century, and one who was a friend to the Jewish people and Israel."

"Margaret Thatcher was always a strong supporter of Israel and the Jewish community. Her staunch defence of freedom and liberty perhaps explains her genuine admiration of Israel as the only democracy in an autocratic region; something that she felt should be fought for and protected," said Stuart Polak, director of Conservative Friends of Israel.
"Britain has lost a great leader but her legacy will never be forgotten."



Sources
Times of Israel,
Jerusalem Post and
Jewish Telegragh