Back to reality: After long days of mourning and ceremonies unprecedented in their scale, Britain is gradually returning to routine and the burning issues have not disappeared with the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The huge funeral procession in London on Sept. 19 saw a wave of patriotism not seen in recent years in the kingdom. With the exception of a few cases, the British press covered the 12 days since the queen's passing to her burial from every angle, focusing on memories from her record reign. London is happy with the unity in the ranks and common sense of destiny created by the events. Without a doubt, the established media has had a part in building the myth that is supposed to turn Charles III into a popular king. But the sense of euphoria is not expected to last long.

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The current reality where there is a new king, a new prime minister, raging inflation, and a gas and energy crisis could turn this winter into a particularly difficult one for the United Kingdom. Now, as the media resumes dealing with these problems, it is hard to forecast what the reaction of the British public will be. In an interview with Israel Hayom, Stuart Polak, a Jewish member of the House of Lords drew a parallel between the national mood and a shiva, noting that getting back to normal is sometimes more difficult than the period of mourning itself. "We are sitting a national shiva but it is also a personal shiva for each and every one of us," he said. "These last days mark without a doubt the end of an era but alongside endings, there is also a continuation. The queen was unique but historical continuity is important."

Indeed, it seems that a critical question that will preoccupy the United Kingdom in the coming months is 'Do the feelings of unity and patriotism of the last few days stem from the institution of the monarchy itself, or were they based on the personality of the late queen?' The implications of the answer to this question will be dramatic for the future of the kingdom.

"The coming winter will be a challenging time," says Dr. Oded Steinberg of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. "In many senses, it is a perfect storm: The two people that stand at the head of the kingdom, King Charles and Prime Minister Liz Truss, are almost caricatures of dreariness, and the tests that await them are likely to come far faster than we may think. Charles will be very popular at first but in the long term, his popularity will depend on the situation in the UK. A deterioration in ties between the UK and the countries of the Commonwealth could occur if there is a dramatic decline in the popularity of the crown. In this sense, the relationship between symbolism and politics in Great Britain is fascinating: When the situation is good, the presence of the monarchy strengthens the trend. But if the situation is bad, we cannot at all be sure that in this new era, symbolism will be enough to change the atmosphere. The new king is worth over a billion dollars. How will this be perceived if people can hardly pay for groceries and don't have enough gas to heat? Charles will have to act fast to combat this."

According to Arie Dubnov of George Washington University, the key lies in the ties between the monarchy and the media – ties that the queen knew how to handle wisely over the years. "There is a love-hate relationship between the monarchy and media in which the media, at first glance,  are the bad guys in the story but, in fact, if we think of key points in the biography of the queen, we see that she had the ability to take an institution that is completely fossilized and not only to make it relevant for the 21st century but also to succeed in painting it as "cool," and "cute," and as a magnet for tourism – and as a topic for great Netflix series. This stems from her understanding that the media is not only an enemy, but it is also an institution that can be manipulated.

"In this context, the monarchy took decisions that may have appeared to be small,  but together were very significant: Institutionalizing the BBC broadcasts of the queen's Christmas message; her appearance at the opening of the Olympic Games in London, in which she seemingly jumped from James Bond's helicopter, and the video clip with Paddington Bear. By doing so, she turned herself without saying a word into a symbol for everybody. The real message was of course, 'How could you imagine England without me?' From this perspective, the queen was a brilliant copywriter. In her era, the monarchy understood the language of the Anglo-American world and the consumerism inherent in it. That was the monarchy's double game: To make the monarchy something cool and at the same time to maintain a distance.

The death of the queen comes at a time when the British ethos is being rewritten, primarily in light of the distancing from Europe after Brexit. The possible awakening of the Commonwealth an organization that the queen was so deeply identified with could influence the way Britain sees itself. "When I was a student, the Republican movement in England was marginal, but it existed," says Prof. Dubnov. "There were professors who refused to take part in the traditional toast for the queen; today that wouldn't happen. It connects to the processes that are ongoing in Great Britain; the British myth is being reshaped through the emphasis on differences from Europe. In Brexit, we saw this myth in action. The British themselves said, "If we are so different from Europe, let's cut ourselves off from them."

According to Dr. Steinberg, King Charles is aware of these processes more than his late mother was. "A scenario in which a country like Canada or Australia withdraws from the Commonwealth in the next few years is certainly possible. This is will be very much dependent on what happens with the British economy and British politics. It is possible that these voices would have arisen under Elizabeth as well because there are deeper processes that are ongoing. Not enough is said about the relationship of Britain to its imperial past. Under the norms that have become common in recent years, the head of state should ask for forgiveness for crimes committed in the past. Germany, for example, apologized for its crimes in Namibia, and the massacre of the athletes in Munich. And this is also true in its relationship to the Holocaust. In Great Britain, the monarchy puts out a message that is disconnected from these considerations and it is not clear how long this can continue. The current situation allows the monarchy not to get its hands dirty and not to be tainted by the depth of imperialist evil. It may be that a new dynamic will now commence that will leave them with no choice.

"Charles understands these issues better than his mother. He was present for example, at a ceremony in which Barbados, a former sugar colony, became a republic. He knows that some things will have to be handled differently from the way Queen Elizabeth managed them, primarily because unlike her he is not seen as a mythical figure. In my opinion, they will have to toe the line of the accepted norms in the Western world today and recognize some of the crimes that Britain committed."

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LONDON (Sept. 20, 2022) – It was like a pilgrimage: In a ceremony unprecedented in scale, Great Britain and the entire world bade farewell to Queen Elizabeth II. For many of the masses who had come to witness history up close, it was an empowering experience. For the United Kingdom, it marked the beginning of a new era.

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As befitting the late head of the Church of England, the funeral was held according to religious protocol, but the public rites of the masses gathered out in the streets were national rites. During Queen Elizabeth's long reign, most Britons left organized religion. The passions that were on display during the long farewell and which reached a peak in yesterday's funeral showed just how much patriotism, and even more so the faith that there is something great, strong, and righteous in British identity and its symbols, have remained part of the self-identification of the citizens of the UK. The public expression of these processes reached its peak during Monday's funeral procession.

From the early hours of the morning, tens of thousands of people streamed into the streets surrounding Westminister Abbey, where the official ceremony took place. We walked with them: Families with small children; groups of schoolchildren; residents of London and those who had come from around the country; those old enough to remember the young queen's coronation alongside youth who have never known a world without Elizabeth as queen. Despite the crowds and the long distances they had to walk along the closed streets, the masses march in silence that spoke loudly.

Many carried bouquets of flowers, others wrapped themselves in British flags and portraits of the queen. Standing out were the veterans of the British army and navy, many of them in full regalia wearing their ranks, berets, and medals, who had come to pay last respects to the monarch they had sworn allegiance to in their service. There were also athletes who had represented Great Britain in international games: among them Olympians who turned out in uniforms adorned with the Union Jack.

As the hours passed, and the day's pinnacle edged closer, more people joined the human river flowing to no particular place, just hoping to get as close as possible and "touch history."

"When our children are asked where they were when Queen Elizabeth was laid to rest, they will know exactly what to reply," the marchers said.

By the time the ceremony commenced at Westminster Abbey, tens of thousands of people had gathered on the lawns of Hyde Park. Almost everyone who had wanted to get close to the closed ceremony but hadn't managed to grab a spot during the night had come to the Park, where the funeral was broadcast on large screens. The crowds participated in the funeral as if they were there: They stood for the prayers and sat for the hymnal they closed their eyes and embraced their loved ones. At the entrance to the park, the atmosphere was like that at a rock concert, but the stunning silence left no room for doubt: this was a mass farewell ceremony. Many such ceremonies were held throughout the kingdom.

The pinnacle of the church ceremony came at its end when the crowd stood for a minute's silence. The silence ended with the blast of trumpets and the crowd clapped spontaneously.  In a ceremony that was so meticulously planned, it was a beautiful moment of spontaneous, popular appreciation. When the queen's casket began the long procession from Westminister Abbey through the streets of London, the booms of cannon fire were heard across the town. A shot went off every minute until the Queen's casket was transferred to a hearse for its final journey to Windsor Castle outside the capital.

In the evening, as life in London began to return to normal, the royal family and senior officials gathered for the committal service at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. As the Queen's coffin was carried up the famous West Steps, the public eye focused on the tears of Kate and Meghan, the tensions between William and Harry, and especially on the strained look on the face of King Charles. He had waited many years for this moment and knew that it would come along with deep sorrow. Now a new era is beginning and challenges and tests await beyond the period of mourning. With a new, not as popular king, a new prime minister, raging inflation, and an energy crisis, they will come faster than expected.

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British Ambassador to Israel Neil Wigan expressed hope this week that King Charles would visit Israel during his reign. 

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Speaking to Israel Hayom, Wigan, who is in London for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, said that King Charles has a good and warm relationship with the Jewish state.

"It's true that the Queen never visited Israel, but King Charles has visited several times as prince and was received by President Isaac Herzog very cordially," he said, adding that Prince William also visited Israel several years earlier. 

"Will Charles visit Israel now as King? We very much hope so, but cannot guarantee that it will happen. He has to decide on his [foreign] visit plans and has an obligation to Commonwealth countries such as Canada and Australia" first. 

Herzog, who is also in London for the royal funeral, told King Charles on Sunday that Israel would be delighted to host him. 

According to Wigan, when then-Prince Charles was in Israel, he visited the Israel Museum and "was fascinated by the Dead Sea Scrolls. The subject of the Holocaust is also very important to him, and he has friends who are survivors. I saw how moved he was when he met Auschwitz survivors. I don't know how deeply the royal family is involved in Israeli politics, but they do have a great interest in Israel in general, so I'm optimistic."

Speaking of Israeli politics, Israeli Ambassador to Britain Tzipi Hotovely said in an interview with Israel Hayom this week that although Queen Elizabeth was not closely familiar with the matter, she did express interest in it.

"She even asked me once why Israel has so many elections, and I had the feeling that she was really interested," Hotovely said. "She had curiosity and deep commitment to her role. She wasn't just a symbol, but more than that, which is why people loved her so much."

The diplomat also said that "the government in London is the most pro-Israel it has ever been," adding that "Britain is today at the forefront of Western countries in voting in favor of Israel at the United Nations. In recent years, there has been a succession of prime ministers who are very friendly to Israel."

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Speaking to Israel Hayom, the official said considerable efforts had been made in recent days, facilitated by Egyptian mediators, to finalize diplomatic understandings between Israel and Hamas.

According to the official, Israel's current policy is to exhaust all diplomatic avenues before launching a military campaign to protect Israel's southern communities, which have been terrorized by Palestinian arson and sporadic rocket fire in recent months.

Consequently, Israel has agreed to allow Qatar to pay the salaries of Gaza government workers and has already permitted the transfer of fuel into the Strip in hopes of improving the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza and hopefully defusing a possible military conflagration.

The official added, however, that Israel conditioned the transfer of Qatari money on the establishment of an oversight mechanism that would ensure the money won't be used to fund terror.

He noted that ideally, Israel would prefer to see the Palestinian Authority handle the payment of the Gaza government workers rather than Qatar, but there was no intention of torpedoing Egyptian mediation efforts for that reason.

Israel realizes that the emerging understandings could be derailed at any moment, the official explained. "It could all fall apart one hour from now," he said, adding that in such a case, Israel is prepared to use immense force against Hamas.

But first, "we need to exhaust all the possible avenues to reach an arrangement," he continued. "But if it looks like there's no chance, we'll act forcefully."

As stated, only a few thousand Palestinians protested at the border on Friday. Seven protesters were wounded in clashes with Israeli troops, Gaza health officials said – the lowest casualty figures reported since the weekly demonstrations began in late March. No attempts to breach the border fence were reported.

Hamas wants a cease-fire and an end to a crippling 11-year blockade on Gaza. The group, which rules the Gaza Strip, has threatened to intensify the weekly protests if the Egyptian-led diplomacy efforts fail.

"We are following the efforts and the [Israeli] occupation is being tested," said Khalil al-Hayya, a senior official from the Islamic terrorist group.

"If lifting the siege is late, you will experience in the winter what you did not see in the summer," he said, in a warning directed at Israel.

Israel and Egypt largely sealed their borders with Gaza after Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007.

On Friday, Egyptian mediators in SUVs drove by two protest locations for the first time. The envoys from the Egyptian intelligence service have been talking separately with Hamas and Israel for months.

Cairo hopes to restore calm and revive inter-Palestinian reconciliation talks between rival factions Hamas and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, led by PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

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In his first public reaction to the affair, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Khashoggi's death, which has sparked global outrage at Saudi Arabia, was "horrendous" and must be dealt with.

"Yet at the same time, I say that it's very important for the stability of the world, for the region and of the world, that Saudi Arabia remain stable," Netanyahu said. "I think that a way must be found to achieve both goals. Because I think that the larger problem is Iran."

Netanyahu spoke to reporters Friday after a meeting in the Bulgarian city of Varna with the leaders of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Serbia.

Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, a Saudi ally, lauded the Israeli prime minister's message, saying "Netanyahu understands the importance of Saudi Arabia and its role in the region."

The Saudi government initially denied Khashoggi had been killed, then said that he had died in an unplanned "rogue operation" before the kingdom's public prosecutor conceded last week that the murder had been premeditated.

Earlier Friday, Israel's Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said Khashoggi's killing was outweighed by the existential threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, and that "Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, are our allies in recent years against the spread of Iran and against the Iranian nuclear threat."

Netanyahu made a surprise visit last week to Oman, whose foreign minister then told Gulf neighbors that Israel should be accepted in the region. Other Israeli delegates this week visited the United Arab Emirates.

The Trump administration, which has brought U.S. policy closer into line with Israel's, has also sought to tighten relations with Saudi Arabia.

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Netanyahu has called Bolsonaro's announcement "a historic, correct and moving step."

The official said the subject came up in talks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held during his official visit to Varna, Bulgaria over the weekend, as part of Israel's efforts to bolster ties with existing alliances inside the European Union.

The same official revealed Israel was examining the possibility of initiating additional intra-European associations in an effort to decrease the transfer of funds to left-wing organizations. It was the official's assessment that Israel could find common ground with many countries inside Europe in its campaign against the policy of support for these anti-Israel nongovernmental organizations.

Netanyahu asked Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, who will soon take on the role of rotating EU president to use her senior role to influence the EU's treatment of Israel.

At the Craiova Forum in Varna, Netanyahu revealed that Israel had recently prevented dozens of terrorist attacks on European soil, including in Denmark .

The official told Israel Hayom that Netanyahu had recently met with Oman's Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi, who was in Ramallah for a meeting with PA officials in Ramallah last week.

Officials in Jerusalem said they were impressed by the foreign minister's conciliatory remarks, which were criticized throughout the Arab world.

The official refused to comment on a report that appeared in the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Friday, according to which Netanyahu was expected to visit yet another Persian Gulf state in the near future.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry in Ramallah has refused to comment officially on Bolsonaro's remarks but a senior Palestinian diplomatic official told Israel Hayom that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas raised the issue in a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo over the weekend.

Abbas shared with el-Sissi the Palestinians' concerns about Bolsonaro's intentions and asked Cairo to use its influence to pressure the Brazilians not to change their foreign policy. The official emphasized that the Palestinian Foreign Ministry had begun to prepare for the possibility Bolsonaro would order the embassy's transfer and downgrade the status of the Palestinian Embassy in Brasília.

"It is still too early to take any steps because right now these are just statements," Palestinian Ambassador to Brazilia Ibrahim Mohamed Khalil Alzeben said.

"I believe the political system in Brazil will make sure to follow and ensure that the president-elect does act in accordance with international law."

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