The Sudanese government voted to annul its so-called Israel boycott law on Monday, in the latest development in the two countries’ diplomatic normalisation process. The decision to scrap the law, dating from 1958, was confirmed earlier this month by the Sudanese prime minister’s office, which also affirmed Sudan’s support for Read more…
Discussions to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal continued this weekend, as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran was enriching uranium to 60 percent fissile purity. The IAEA announced it had “verified that Iran has begun the production of UF6, enriched up to 60% U-235, by feeding Read more…
With two weeks left to form a government, Benjamin Netanyahu suffered a major blow on Monday when his supporters lost a key vote which effectively cost them control of the Knesset. The loss increased speculation that the long-serving prime minister’s days in office are numbered. What happened The anti-Netanyahu bloc Read more…
LFI vice-chair Rosie Cooper today pushed Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa James Cleverly on potential UK membership of the international board of the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. “It is now five months since the US Congress passed a $250 million Act to create the Read more…
General Secretary of the UK Labour Party, David Evans, has met with his counterpart, Eran Harmoni, Secretary General of the Israeli Labor Party. LFI Chair Steve McCabe MP joined the meeting. It was the first meeting between the two General Secretaries of the sister parties in over four years, and Read more…
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, forming part of a two-day visit to Israel. Austin tweeted that the US is committed to working closely with Israel, particularly on security and “threats posed by Iran”. He did not mention Iran or its nuclear programme Read more…
Benjamin Netanyahu met with Naftali Bennett, leader of the right-wing Yamina party, for the fourth time on Wednesday after being asked to form a government by President Reuven Rivlin last week. The Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem hosted coalition negotiations between Likud and Yamina, who have also been meeting separately. Talks between Netanyahu Read more…
The Biden administration has announced plans to restore $235m (£171m) of aid to Palestinians, in a reversal of a cut made by Donald Trump. UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, will receive two-thirds of the aid. UNRWA experienced a sharp financial crisis when the Trump administration slashed $360m in US Read more…
Iran last weekend began speeding up its nuclear enrichment programme – just days after talks aimed at reviving the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action began in Vienna. But Tehran’s launch of banned advanced centrifuges at the secret Natanz plant appears to have been disrupted by a suspected Israeli attack Read more…
Almost two weeks after Israel’s fourth general election in two years, President Reuven Rivlin gave Benjamin Netanyahu the first opportunity to form a government on Monday. He said he did so reluctantly, with “moral and ethical” reservations over the fact that Netanyahu is on trial for corruption. Rivlin’s announcement came Read more…
After much delay, Benjamin Netanyahu’s trial on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust began on Monday. Ilan Yeshua, former chief executive of internet news site Walla, told the Jerusalem court that his boss feared that news stories angering Netanyahu would harm his chances of receiving regulatory relief. Netanyahu is Read more…
The Biden administration has agreed to join talks in Vienna aimed at resurrecting the Iran nuclear deal, which the Trump administration left in 2018. The remaining signatories – China, France, Germany, Russia and the UK – now need to find routes both for the US to lift sanctions imposed on Read more…