London, Nov. 9 (TNS) Indian origin UK minister Priti Patel resigned amid a political storm over her secret meetings with Israeli officials, British media reported on Thursday.
The UK Secretary of State for International Development was summoned back from Kenya by Prime Minister Theresa May after it was revealed she met senior Israeli officials during a family holiday in the summer, a significant breach of diplomatic protocol.
During the visit, Patel, who paid for the trip herself, met with a dozen politicians and organizations, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yuval Rotem, a senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official.
She also met with Yair Lapid, the head of Yesh Latid, one of Netanyahu’s coalition partners, who tweeted about their meeting.
Even as Patel offered a “fulsome apology” on Wednesday in her resignation letter, May offered a firm rebuke to the departing minister.
