Britons in Israel told to 'register their presence' to Foreign Office as fighting worsens
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Government officials said that 'safety and security of British nationals is our priority'
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Britons in Israel have been told to tell the Foreign Office where they are in the country, so the Government can support British nationals there if fighting worsens.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, told reporters at the G7 summit in Canada that the UK was asking Britons to "register their presence" in the country via a Government portal.
The measure would allow the UK to know where Britons are in Israel if there is a need to evacuate them at a later stage.
Government officials said that "safety and security of British nationals is our priority. Our key message to British nationals in Israel is to follow the advice of local authorities".
Britons in Israel have been urged to 'register' with the Foreign Office
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They added: "We are also launching a Register your Presence portal for British Nationals in the country, in order to build a clearer picture of who is in the region and may need assistance.
"We urge British Nationals in Israel to complete this when it becomes available."
The portal is expected to be ready to use later today.
Starmer is expected to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 later today.
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He said Israel and Iran would be the “number one issue” at the G7 and that there is a “consensus for de-escalation” among leaders at the summit.
Ahead of talks, he said “the number one issue here is obviously the conflict, particularly in the Middle East.”
He added: “I spoke to President Trump just in recent days, and, of course, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and to pretty well all of the G7 leaders yesterday. And I do think there’s a consensus for de-escalation.
“Obviously, what we need to do today is to bring that together and to be clear about how it is to be brought about.
The measure would allow the UK to know where Britons are in Israel if there is a need to evacuate them at a later stage
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“But the risk of the conflict escalating is obvious, I think, and the implications, not just for the region but globally are really immense, so the focus has to be on de-escalation.”
Asked if he accepted that Israel does not appear willing to de-escalate, he said: “It is really important that we focus on de escalation, because the risks of the conflict escalating are obvious across the region, beyond the region, the impact that this could and probably will have on Gaza, which is a tinderbox, and, of course, the impact on the economy.”