Latest News And Analysis
Analysis: From “No, No, No” to “Yes”; Sudan is latest state to normalise relations with Israel
Sudan has become the latest Arab nation to seek to normalise its relationship with Israel. The agreement was announced during a call between Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump and Sudan’s Sovereign Council president, General Abdel Fattah al- Burhan, and prime minister Abdalla Hamdok. The announcement – which follows the signing last month of the Abraham Accords[…]
In Brief: Peers welcome normalisation deal in call with UAE ambassado
A cross-party group of members of the House of Lords welcomed the UAE’s normalisation agreement during a video call with the country’s ambassador to London last week. “We believe this is an exciting time for the UAE, Israel and the region,” Ambassador Mansoor Abulhoul (pictured) told two dozen members of the Britain-Israel Peers Group, “The[…]
In Brief: Hamas court convicts peace activists over Zoom call with Israelis
A military court in Gaza this week convicted three Palestinian peace activists for holding a video call with Israelis in April. Rami Aman, the head of the Gaza Youth Committee, was sentenced to a year in prison after being found guilty of “weakening revolutionary spirit”. However, the court said it would “halt” implementation of the[…]
In Brief: Israel continues to unlock as virus rate falls to lowest level since June
Israel is to reopen some of its schools, as well as some businesses, such as hairdressers, that receive customers as the country continues to ease its covid-19 restrictions. Facing a surge in coronavirus cases, the Jewish state last month became the first country in the world to impose a second national lockdown. The Health Ministry[…]
Analysis: Israel’s lockdown begins to lift as Bibi’s popularity sinks
Israel this week began lifting its nationwide coronavirus lockdown. Widely praised for its swift and tough action against the pandemic in the spring, the country last month became the first in the world to order a second shutdown after a sharp rise in cases. But the Jewish state is in a sour mood as it[…]
In Brief: LFI chair writes to Raab as Iran welcomes lifting of arms embargo
Iran has welcomed the lifting on Sunday of the 13-year arms embargo, labelling it as a “momentous day”. In a letter last week to the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, LFI chair Steve McCabe expressed his disappointment that it has “not been possible to secure international consensus to extend the arms embargo” and asked “what action the[…]
In Brief: UAE ministers arrive in Israel after ratification of Abraham Accords
A high-level delegation of ministers from the United Arab Emirates arrived in Israel on Tuesday – the first-ever official such visit. It followed the parliamentary ratification by Bahrain and the UAE on Monday of their normalisation agreements with the Jewish state. The Knesset gave its assent to the Abraham Accords, which were announced in August,[…]
In Brief: Israel hands PA control of three West Bank power stations
Israel has given the Palestinian Authority control over three power stations in a bid to help stabilise and boost the supply of electricity to the West Bank. The three power stations – in Tarqumiyah, near Hebron, Qalandiyah, between Jerusalem and Ramallah, and Nablus – were handed over by the Israel Electric Corporation. The PA was[…]
LFI Chair writes to Foreign Secretary re: Iran arms embargo expiry
Steve McCabe MP, Chair of Labour Friends of Israel, has written a letter to the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab MP, expressing deep concern about the lifting of the UN arms embargo on Iran. In the letter, Steve McCabe expresses his huge disappointment that it has “not been possible to secure international consensus to extend the arms[…]
Analysis: The arms embargo on Iran ends this weekend – what next?
A decade-old ban on the sale of conventional arms to Iran will come to an end this Sunday, potentially opening the way for Russia and China to assist the Islamic Republic in a major, potentially hugely destabilising, expansion and advancement of its military capability. Since 2010, the supply of a host of weaponry – including[…]
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