British ambassador to Israel David Quarrey
British ambassador to Israel David QuarreyUK Embassy in Israel

Israel and Britain’s relations will not change once Britain leaves the European Union (EU), British ambassador to Israel David Quarrey said on Friday.

Speaking to Channel 2 News after UK residents voted to leave the EU in a referendum and Prime Minister David Cameron announced his resignation, Quarrey said, “The relationship between Britain and Israel will not change significantly.”

“Britain will be friends with Israel both within the EU and outside it, but Israel's relations with the EU in future will have to be determined without Britain as a mediator,” he added.

“We reached a very important decision today,” the ambassador said in reference to the vote to leave the EU. “The decision was made and there is no turning back. Britain will leave the EU and it is the job of the government to implement that decision.”

Quarrey’s interview came after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu released a statement thanking Cameron for his friendship with Israel.

“I have great appreciation for Prime Minister David Cameron, a respected leader and a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people,” Netanyahu said, adding, “Throughout his premiership the security, economic and technological cooperation between the United Kingdom and Israel has greatly expanded.”

“Together we laid a strong foundation for continued cooperation,” the Prime Minister concluded.

Before the referendum, Cameron made one final push to convince UK residents to vote in favor of remaining in the EU, insisting a “Brexit” would be bad for Israel.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)