The mayor of London called the movement to boycott all trade with Israel "completely crazy" at the start of a three-day trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories meant to encourage confidence in London's economy, according to an article in the British newspaper Express & Star.
Boris Johnson, who became mayor in 2008 and was also elected to the British Parliament this past May as a member of the Conservative Party, made his comment to a group of reporters in Tel Aviv during a meeting with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Silvan Shalom, which can be seen in the following tweet:
.@MayorofLondon attacks boycott Israel campaign as 'crazy' during meet with @SilvanShalom@israelinuk@ukinisraelpic.twitter.com/qguw7ZSUwY
— Justin Cohen (@CohenJust) November 9, 2015
The Conservative MP described how it makes no sense to boycott the one "functioning democracy" in the Middle East and also thinks "the movement for a boycott is not very well supported. A few lefty academics probably."
Johnson is also expected to speak with a group of around 300 people in Tel Aviv to discuss, among other topics, his admiration of the Jewish people and their accomplishments, including how the "Jewish people have given us nuclear fission, they have given us silicon chips and they have given us fish and chips."
Johnson's visit is supposed to help build greater economic ties between Israel and London, and the mayor spent much of his time marveling at the Jewish state's high-tech industry. He also spoke to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, highlighting Israel's accomplishments in the technology field.
The mayor's trip comes one day after a group of academics from the United Kingdom concluded a conference on international relations in Israel where they rejected an academic boycott of the Jewish state.