By Dan WilliamsLONDON (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert flew to London on Sunday for talks aimed at seeking a strong European stand against the Hamas-led Palestinian government and Iran's nuclear programme.
In talks with Prime Minister Tony Blair on Monday and later this week with French President Jacques Chirac, Olmert will also lobby for support for his West Bank redeployment plan.
The proposal to remove dozens of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank while annexing others in the absence of peace talks has won U.S. praise but faces political hurdles at home and the misgivings of moderate Arabs.
As top European Union powers, Britain and France have played supporting roles in navigating a beleaguered "road map" to Israeli-Palestinian peace. Along with Germany, they have also led Western bids to curb Iran's atomic ambitions through talks.
Yet many Israelis see the Europeans as less reliable Middle East powerbrokers than their U.S. ally, a view bolstered by reports of anti-Semitism among Europe's growing Muslim minority.
An Israeli official told Reuters that the European Union is seen as "the weak link, but Olmert has the advantage of coming with a plan under which he is willing to give up territory."
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