ByLAHAV HARKOV
Updated:
UK Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove arrived in Israel Monday night on a fact-finding mission to see how the country is opening up from COVID-19 restrictions.

He and Jonathan Van-Tam, one of England’s deputy chief medical officers, met with Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi Tuesday morning.

Gove is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein. He plans to discuss the possibility of opening a travel corridor between the UK and Israel for vaccinated travelers and to learn about Israel’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout and lifting of limitations for those with the “Green Passport” certifying their immunity.

“The fight against the coronavirus pandemic is a challenge facing the whole world,” Ashkenazi said. “After dealing with the medical challenge, we must find ways to bring the economy on track as quickly as possible.”

The UK and Israel plan to work together to recognize each other’s vaccination certificates and to allow tourists and businesspeople to travel between the countries in light of their high vaccination rates, he said.

Ashkenazi and Gove discussed the ongoing negotiations in Vienna for the US and Iran to return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Ashkenazi asked Gove to relay his thanks to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for speaking out against the International Criminal Court’s investigation of alleged war crimes by Israel.