Last week’s tragic events on the Gaza border underline the need for urgent action to address the plight of the Palestinian people. Earlier this year, LFI launched a Pledge for Gaza. It promotes a multifaceted approach, one with political, diplomatic and economic strands. The pledge recognises the suffering of the people Read more…
This post, by LFI Director Jennifer Gerber, first appeared on Progress Simple narratives that seek to cast all the blame of the Gaza conflict on one side are as naive as they are unhelpful to the cause of peace, writes Labour Friends of Israel’s Jennifer Gerber On Tuesday Labour Friends Read more…
This blog by Joan Ryan MP, parliamentary chair of Labour Friends of Israel, was originally posted on Times of Israel The terrible and shocking events in Gaza yesterday require urgent and immediate action to end the cycle of violence and address the plight of its people. Like any other country, Read more…
On the 14th May, 1948, on the termination of the British Mandate, Israel declared its independence. As the Jewish state celebrates its seventieth anniversary, here are seven defining moments in the history of the reborn Jewish state. 1948 – Israel’s War of Independence The Jewish Agency, pre-state Israel’s government-in-waiting, accepting Read more…
President Trump’s long-awaited Middle East plan is close to completion, according to reports in the US media last weekend. The timing of its release is not yet confirmed and details of its contents are highly guarded. However, the president’s enthusiasm for negotiating the “ultimate deal” – a peace agreement which brings an Read more…
This op-ed by Joan Ryan first appeared in the JewishNews, click here to read it. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is desperate and deeply concerning. Electricity supplies are highly restricted; water and sewage facilities are under strain; rising unemployment has hit 40 percent, with an estimated six in 10 young Read more…
LFI today launches our new Pledge for Gaza campaign – part of our long-standing work to encourage the economic revitalisation of the coastal enclave. We will be inviting Labour parliamentarians to sign the five-point plan. It seeks to provide a multifaceted response to the challenges facing Gaza. The pledge recognises the plight of the Read more…
The government this week said it supported the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Asked by LFI parliamentary supporter Luciana Berger at Foreign Office questions to “pledge the UK’s diplomatic support”, Middle East minister Alistair Burt announced: “The UK supports the concept of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.” Read more…
Avi Gabbay’s recent appearance at the Saban Forum – an annual US gathering on Middle East policy – provided his most comprehensive statement on the peace process since becoming leader of the Labor party in July. In his remarks, Gabbay reiterated his support for a two-state solution, said it was time to end Read more…
LFI chair Joan Ryan has written to the shadow international development secretary, Kate Osamor, asking her to clarify Tweets she made over the weekend supporting the BDS movement. Below the words “BDS movement #freedom #Justice #Equality”, Ms Osamor added a link to the Middle East Institute for Understanding and an explanation Read more…
Donald Trump announced this week that the United States would be formally recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, upending decades of US policy. In a brief White House address, the American president declared that formal recognition was “a recognition of reality” and the “right thing to do”. He was Read more…
An LFI spokesperson said: “LFI’s position is unchanged. Unilateral international moves – such as those by President Trump today – do not advance the peace process. It is important that formal recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is part of a reinvigorated and renewed peace process in pursuit Read more…