Representatives of Hamas and Fatah met in Cairo this week to begin talks aimed at securing an agreement which will allow Palestinians to vote in their first elections in 15 years. Mahmoud Abbas (pictured) last month signed a decree authorising elections to the Palestinian parliament and for the presidency this Read more…
Iran’s intelligence minister has threatened that the Islamic republic will push for a nuclear weapon if international sanctions aren’t lifted soon. Mahmoud Alavi’s warning – reported by state television today – came as Joe Biden told Tehran the US wouldn’t ease sanctions until Iran complies with the terms of the Read more…
Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in Jerusalem’s District Court to formally enter a plea of not guilty as his trial on corruption charges resumed this week. The prime minister is accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases. He is the first serving Israeli prime minister to go on Read more…
The Biden administration has taken the first steps towards restoring relations between the US and the Palestinian Authority, which were severed in 2017. The move came shortly after the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas (pictured), announced new elections – the first to be held in nearly 15 years. What happened Joe Read more…
Iran is stepping up its breaches of the 2015 nuclear deal despite Joe Biden’s efforts to salvage the accord. A report by the International Atomic Energy Agency obtained by Reuters this week confirms that Tehran is installing more efficient centrifuges to enrich uranium at its underground plant at Natanz. Speeding-up uranium enrichment Read more…
The Labor party, which appeared to be facing electoral catastrophe just weeks ago, is rising sharply in the polls in a boost to new leader Merav Michaeli. A Channel 13 survey released yesterday showed the party winning eight seats in March’s general election, with Benjamin Netanyahu’s opponents ekeing out a Knesset majority. It is the latest survey to show Read more…
The Palestinian Authority has confirmed that it began vaccinating its medical staff on Tuesday after the shipment of 2,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine from Israel the previous day. However, the statement by the PA Ministry of Health – which said intensive care staff who “stand in the first line Read more…
LFI chair Steve McCabe MP and LFI Parliamentary Officers took part in a debate marking Holocaust Memorial Day in the House of Commons on Thursday 28 January. This annual debate is an opportunity for Parliamentarians from across the House to unite in remembering the victims, honouring survivors, and remembering where Read more…
Labour Friends of Israel Director Michael Rubin has written for LabourList, click here to read the original. The inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris was a tremendous day for the world. Donald Trump was a disaster, not just for America, but globally. His vile, divisive and racist politics caused Read more…
Merav Michaeli, who refused to back her party’s decision to join Israel’s “unity government” last summer, was elected Labor leader on Sunday in a landslide victory. She now has a little under two months to revive the party, which had been threatened with an electoral wipeout, before voters return to Read more…
The first-ever Israeli ambassador to the United Arab Emirates arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday following the signing of last summer’s Abraham Accords. The move came as the UAE cabinet approved the decision to open an embassy in Tel Aviv. Senior diplomat Eitan Na’eh (pictured), who has previously been posted to the Israeli Embassy in London, will serve as charge Read more…
Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, held his first call on Sunday with his Israeli counterpart Meir Ben-Shabbat. They agreed to begin discussions between the new US administration and the Israeli government on a raft of issues of mutual concern, including the Abraham Accords, the Iran nuclear deal and the wider Middle East. The call came as Israeli media reported that the Read more…