Today, Labour Friends of Israel publishes UK-Israel Aerial Defence Collaboration: Towards a British Iron Shield, a policy briefing on the lessons Britain can learn from Israel on aerial defence to protect civilians and infrastructure against missile attacks. Since its creation in 1948, Israel has lived under the constant threat of Read more…
On the Sunday at conference, LFI hosted a packed fringe event at Labour conference in which delegates heard testimony from relatives of Israeli hostages who have been held in Gaza by Hamas for almost a year now. In a session chaired by LFI vice-chair Sharon Hodgson MP, delegates heard poignant Read more…
Today, LFI publishes a new paper: Labour, Israel & Palestine: Lessons from the Blair-Brown years. Authored by Dr Toby Greene, the paper analyses the context and approach taken by the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and outlines the lessons that can be learnt for our new Labour government. The Read more…
The war launched by Hamas on 7 October has brought about an unprecedented level of coordination between Iran’s proxies, forcing Israel to fight a multi-front conflict for close to a year. In this paper, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis: Iran’s “Axis of Resistance”, we outline the origins of, and explain Read more…
The deaths of 12 children in the Golan Heights at the weekend in a Hezbollah rocket attack has raised fears of an escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed terror group on the northern border. Hezbollah has been ramping up its attacks on Israel since the 7 October Read more…
Palestinian factions – including Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah – have reached a deal on forming an interim government after the Gaza war ends. While the latest attempt at reconciliation between the warring factions may come to nothing – a series of much-trumpeted previous efforts have failed to produce Read more…
Foreign secretary David Lammy has this week made his first visit to Israel and the West Bank following his appointment on 5 July. During the trip, the Foreign Secretary reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, including the release of the remaining Israeli hostages Read more…
Newly-elected Labour prime minister Keir Starmer has today spoken with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. In his call with Netanyahu, the Prime Minister “said he looked forward to further deepening the close relationship between the two countries”. They went on to discuss the Read more…
Unprecedented Iranian attacks on Israel In recent decades, Iran has embarked on an aggressive policy of expanding its influence across the Middle East, with a key aim of encircling Israel. This has involved the funding of proxies, armed militias and terrorist groups across the region, Iran’s “axis of resistance”. Iran Read more…
On the ground Israeli military operations are ongoing in Khan Younis to dismantle Hamas brigades and locate tunnels and weapons, as well as in parts of Gaza City to prevent Hamas returning to areas taken over by the IDF in December. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared on Sunday that Hamas’s Read more…
On the ground: Latest figures suggest that at least 1,444 Israelis have been killed since 7 October, including in the initial Hamas terror attacks, rocket attacks, and subsequent war in Gaza. Around 132 Israelis are thought to still be being held hostage by Hamas. 6 February saw reports that 32 or the remaining hostages Read more…
Military situation in Gaza This week saw the heaviest single day losses for the IDF in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the ground operation, with 24 soldiers killed on 22 January. Some 21 were killed after being hit with RPGs while preparing explosives to demolish buildings in eastern Khan Younis, Read more…