Strike may prevent Netanyahu from attending Thatcher's funeral

The Israeli newspaper, Maariv, reported in today’s issue that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have to cancel his visit to London to attend the funeral of former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, which will take place next Wednesday.

The newspaper said that the reason for this is the strike action announced by the staff of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, which will obstruct the supply of diplomatic passports for Netanyahu’s security detail.

Meanwhile, the Israeli embassy in London has asked the Foreign Ministry staff to make an exception for Netanyahu’s trip to the British capital. The embassy believes that Netanyahu’s absence from Thatcher’s funeral will tarnish the image of Israel and have a negative effect on relations between the two countries; especially since the Israeli President, Shimon Peres, will not be attending.