The leader of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group, Hassan Nasrallah, boasted this week that he commands 100,000 fighters. Experts estimate that the claimed figure, which exceeds the size of Lebanon’s army, is almost certainly an exaggeration of the more likely figure of between 25 to 50,000. However, Nasrallah’s claim is Read more…
In the first week back after the conference recess, parliamentarians debated Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA nuclear deal in a Westminster Hall Debate organised by Stephen Crabb. A refresher The JCPOA, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was agreed in 2015 after some 20 months of negotiations. Signed in Vienna, Read more…
Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC), boasted that Iran had “built power” to confront the US this week. “We have built power to defeat the US. When we build power [to confront] man’s largest military empire, i.e. the US, small powers like the Zionist regime are Read more…
Lebanese parliamentarians met this week to formally confirm the country’s new government. The appointment earlier this month of telecoms billionaire Najib Mikati as prime minister ends a year-long political deadlock following the resignation of his predecessor in the wake of the deadly Beirut port explosion last August. However, Mikati, who Read more…
In LFI’s new pamphlet, The New Middle East: A Progressive Approach, contributors explored how the Middle East is changing and what a progressive UK foreign policy response might be. In this webinar, a number of the pamphlet authors and Chatham House experts discussed the publication’s main arguments and recommendations. Prof Read more…
Iran has embarked on a campaign to establish itself as Lebanon’s primary fuel supplier, in order to empower its local proxy: the terrorist group Hezbollah. A recent report by Iran’s state Tasnim media, titled ‘The Iranian ships, the triangle of resistance that shattered the American hegemony’, laid out the Iranian Read more…
Join us for a discussion event on the Middle East’s changing political landscape, organised in collaboration with Chatham House. You can sign up for this fascinating discussion here ahead of the event itself on Tuesday 14th September at 2pm. Over the last decade, Middle Eastern countries have experienced significant changes in Read more…
Labour Friends of Israel director Michael Rubin has written the below article for LabourList. Click here to read the original. For those of us on the left who support Israel and want to see the forces of peace, progress and moderation advance in the Middle East, the last decade was without Read more…
LFI last week launched a major new publication examining the changing shape of the Middle East. From the growing threat posed by Iranian expansionism to diplomatic shifting sands and demographic changes, The New Middle East: A Progressive Approach is an important contribution to Labour’s foreign policy development. Launch event The pamphlet was Read more…
LFI this week launches a major new publication on the changing shape of the Middle East. From demographic changes to diplomatic revolutions, and the growing threat posed by an expansionist Iran, The New Middle East: A Progressive Approach is designed to contribute to the evolution of Labour’s foreign policy development. What’s in it The Read more…
Join us for the launch of LFI’s new publication The New Middle East: A Progressive Approach a selection of essays discussing the changing political landscape in the region. This new essay collection seeks to challenge assumptions about the Middle East and broaden the debate on the left, which is too often disproportionately focussed on Israel. From demographic changes to diplomatic revolutions, Read more…
The political bureau chief of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, has met with Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, in the Lebanese capital Beirut this week. The two reportedly discussed the recent 11-day bout of fighting between Israel and Gaza-based terror groups led by Hamas, and how they might build on the experience Read more…