Priti Patel resigns cabinet over Israel meetings row

The British Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel resigned yesterday amid a political storm over her secret meetings with Israeli officials. 

She was summoned back from Kenya by Prime Minister Theresa May after it was revealed that she met senior Israeli officials during a family holiday in the summer. It is a significant breach of diplomatic protocol. 

During the visit, Ms Patel, who paid for the trip herself, met with a dozen politicians and



organizations, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official.

The British Prime Minister rebuked the departing Minister, even as Ms Patel offered a fulsome apology yesterday in her resignation letter.Patel's departure will throw Ms May's Conservative government into further chaos after the sudden resignation last week of Defense Secretary Michael Fallon, who stepped down after getting involved in a sexual harassment scandal.