Latest News And Analysis
Analysis: Netanyahu on brink of fifth term
Benjamin Netanyahu’s hopes of entering the history books and becoming Israel’s longest serving prime minister appear close to realisation after yesterday’s general election. Netanyahu’s Likud party and Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White alliance each emerged from the closely fought contest with 35 seats. But, with counting almost complete, the prime minister looks set to[…]
Analysis: After Israel votes, will Trump finally launch his “peace plan”?
Shortly before he was inaugurated as president in January 2017, Donald Trump said of Jared Kushner: “If you can’t produce peace in the Middle East, nobody can.” Pulling off the “deal of the century” – peace between Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab world – would have been a large task for anybody. But the president’s son-in-law,[…]
Analysis: Gantz and Bibi in tight race as campaign enters final stretch
Israel’s closely fought general election campaign is entering its final stretch with Benjamin Netanyahu’s hopes of re-election hanging in the balance. Polls show that the prime minister and his centrist challenger, Benny Gantz, are locked in a tight race as voters prepare to render their verdict in less than two week’s time. All this takes[…]
Analysis: Hamas’ violent double-game on display
Hamas’ twin-track strategy – to bring calm to Gaza while stoking terror in the West Bank – has been on graphic display over the past week. Leaders of the terror group, which rules the coastal enclave, were in talks with senior Egyptian intelligence officials on Thursday evening when two rockets were fired from the Strip[…]
Analysis: Israel’s rail system is in trouble with possible ramifications on the upcoming election
Transport policy is not usually a central policy concern of Israeli elections. However, this year’s election is set to be extremely close and dysfunction and strikes among Israel’s railways has the potential to be a decisive factor in determining the election’s outcome. Israel’s state comptroller recently released a damning report on the state of nation’s[…]
Analysis: Will Arab-Israelis determine Netanyahu’s fate?
Benjamin Netanyahu’s apparent effort to make the fear of Arab-Israelis a central part of his re-election campaign came under heavy attack from the country’s president this week. Reuven Rivlin did not name the prime minister, but few would have been unaware of the target of his remarks made at a conference on Monday. “There are[…]
Analysis: UK Hezbollah ban comes into force
Britain’s ban on Hezbollah came into force last Friday. It means that being a member or supporter of the antisemitic terror group is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The government’s move followed several years of campaigning by LFI and Jewish groups. Previously, only Hezbollah’s military wing was banned in the UK. Hezbollah itself[…]
LFI Welcomes Anshel Pfeffer to Parliament
Labour Friends of Israel was delighted to welcome Anshel Pfeffer to Parliament, to speak about the upcoming Israeli elections. Anshel Pfeffer is a leading Israeli Journalist, and currently writes for the Israeli daily Haaretz, the Economist and the Jewish Chronicle. He has also written for the Guardian and is often called upon by British media[…]
Victory for LFI campaign as government bans Hezbollah in entirety
The British government last week announced it was banning Hezbollah in its entirety in a major victory for LFI’s long-running campaign. Previously, only the military wing of the antisemitic terror group was proscribed in Britain. LFI chair Joan Ryan and vice-chair Dame Louise Ellman have led parliamentary efforts to ban the political wing. Ms Ryan[…]
Analysis: Netanyahu indictment throws Israeli poll into flux
Israel’s general election campaign has been thrown into flux by legal and political developments which may put Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-term future as prime minister at risk. On Thursday, attorney general Avichai Mandelblit announced he was indicting the Israeli leader in relation to three police investigations into alleged corruption. The indictments – for fraud, bribery and breach of[…]
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Our weekly update looking at the Middle East peace process, regional developments, domestic Israeli and Palestinian affairs and primary issues affecting UK policy on Israel
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