Over 100,000 Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night amid rising opposition to controversial judicial reforms proposed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government. What happened The protests, which also saw smaller demonstrations across the country, came as the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, was said to be considering Read more…
Today, LFI chair Steve McCabe MP and LFI Lords chair Baroness Ramsay have written to the Israeli Ambassador, Tzipi Hotovely, to express their concern about the appointment of certain ministers to the new coalition government led by Benjamin Netanyahu. In the letter, Steve and Meta make clear that their Read more…
The Moroccan military announced this week that it had agreed to strengthen military cooperation with Israel, including in intelligence and cybersecurity, following defence meetings in Rabat. The two countries “agreed to further strengthen cooperation and expand it to other areas, including in intelligence, air defence and electronic warfare”, a Read more…
Most voters for prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party support the government’s plans to dramatically restructure Israel’s legal system, according to a poll aired on Israel’s Channel 12 last week. The poll found that 55 percent of Likud voters backed the new government’s plans to overhaul the judiciary, with Read more…
Tens of thousands of demonstrators faced pouring rain on Saturday to gather in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square for protests against Israel’s new hard-right government and its plans for sweeping judicial reforms. Police estimated a turnout of some 80,000 people rallied in the square and surrounding streets, with many Israelis travelling Read more…
LFI parliamentary supporter Kim Leadbeater has today written to prime minister Rishi Sunak to push him to pledge UK participation in the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, a longstanding LFI campaign goal. The letter referenced Sunak’s comments to Conservative Friends of Israel in December 2022, in which he committed to Read more…
A number of LFI MPs and their colleagues have today used a backbench business debate in the House of Commons on the treatment of protestors in Iran to push the government to adopt a more comprehensive strategy towards Iran. In the debate, LFI vice-chair John Spellar MP twice repeated LFI’s Read more…
The UK government is reportedly preparing to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, following a longstanding campaign by LFI and many Jewish community groups. The IRGC is a hugely influential apparatus of the Iranian state, spearheading operations against opponents of the regime at home and abroad, especially in entrenching Iran’s influence in Iraq, Read more…
The parliament of Oman, which has widely been speculated to be a prime candidate for future diplomatic normalisation with Israel, voted last week to criminalise relations or interactions with “the Zionist entity”. The legislation would “severe any economic, sports or cultural relations” and “prohibit dealing in any way or means, Read more…
A rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on 3 January, according to Israeli military reports. The IDF said the projective landed inside Gaza itself, causing no injuries or damage. Incoming rocket sirens did not sound in nearby Israeli communities, as defence systems had projected it would Read more…
Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in recent weeks to show their opposition to the formation of Israel’s most right-wing government. What happened The new coalition government, led by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is made up of six parties: right-wing Likud, far-right Religious Zionism and Otzma Read more…
Labour Friends of Israel was delighted today to partner with the Jewish Labour Movement to organise a series of sessions on Israel and the Middle East as part of their one-day conference. First up was a fascinating discussion between Dame Louise Ellman and Labour’s shadow Middle East minister Bambos Charalambous, Read more…