The death of Queen Elizabeth II last night brought the end of an era in the kingdom, and also caused a look back, towards the years of her tenure and legacy.
By virtue of her position, Elizabeth II visited many countries in the world, so she visited Canada, for example, no less than 27 times. After turning 50, she visited 43 different countries around the globe for the first time.
The Middle East region was also no stranger to her, when she traveled to countries such as Jordan, Egypt, and other regions in North Africa – but for some reason, Israel was not on the map. The Queen has never visited here.
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Elizabeth II’s visit to Jordan in 1984 was controversially received by the Jewish community in Britain, when it was reported that she expressed support for the Palestinian struggle and opposition to Israel’s actions in the region. However, it hosted Israeli presidents such as Haim Herzog and Ezer Weizmann, and awarded Shimon Peres an honorary knighthood sometime in 2008.
President Herzog invited the Queen to visit the country, but the only official visit of a royal to Israel was by her grandson, Prince William, when her son and her husband visited the country separately.
According to the assessment, due to the recommendations of the British Foreign Office and the fear of an Arab oil boycott, Elizabeth II avoided coming to Israel, but even when the fear of such a boycott was removed, the Queen still did not arrive.
Queen Elizabeth II visiting Canada (Photo: Reuters)The Queen’s relationship with the Jewish community in Britain
Queen Elizabeth II was on good terms with members of the Jewish community in the United Kingdom during her years in office, and awarded knighthoods to many British Jews. Baroness Jacobovitz used to say that whenever she and the chief rabbi were invited to a royal dinner in the palace, the menu was strictly kosher and was prepared in the same way for all the people sitting at the table, and the portions were large and dignified.