Latest News And Analysis
Analysis: Israel under rocket attack after terror chief killed
More than 250 rockets have been launched at Israeli towns and cities by terrorist groups in Gaza over the past two day. The attacks followed an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday morning which targeted and killed the military commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Baha Abu al-Atta (pictured far right), Israel says, was responsible for multiple[…]
Leading LFI lights stepping down from parliament
LFI’s chair, Louise Ellman, and her predecessor, Joan Ryan, both left the House of Commons this week when parliament was dissolved. Neither will be seeking re-election in the general election on 12 December. Ms Ryan – who will continue to work with LFI in her new role as our honorary president – became chair after[…]
Analysis: PA and Hamas human rights crackdown under fire
Hamas security forces arrested dozens of Palestinian activists last week in a bid to prevent anti-government protests similar to those which have rocked Lebanon. The arrests – believed to have targeted left-wing and moderate opponents of Gaza’s Islamist rulers – came as a court in the West Bank ordered the blocking of 59 Palestinian websites,[…]
LFI chair demands Raab acts on Hezbollah
LFI chair Dame Louise Ellman has written to the foreign secretary to demand action in response to Hezbollah’s precision missile project, which poses a serious threat to Israel and is in direct violation of UNSCR 1701 that brought an end to the Second Lebanon War. Louise urges Britain to make a “public warning to Hezbollah and[…]
Analysis: Gantz gets his chance
Israel’s opposition leader, Benny Gantz, will this evening be formally invited to form a government by President Reuven Rivlin. The president made the move after Benjamin Netanyahu failed to assemble a coalition in the required 28 days. Netanyahu did not request a 14-day extension. It is the second time this year that the prime minister[…]
LFI Dame Louise Ellman Statement
Following Dame Louise Ellman’s decision to resign her membership of the Labour Party, LFI have released the following statement: Jennifer Gerber, director of LFI, said: “Louise Ellman has taken a characteristically brave and principled decision today. It highlights once again the institutional antisemitism which continues to shame the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn’s responsibility for[…]
Analysis: What Trump’s betrayal of the Kurds means for Israel
President Trump’s decision last week to abandon the Kurds and give the green light to Turkey’s invasion of north-eastern Syria has sent shockwaves through the Middle East, including in Israel. Even as the US now apparently scrambles to rein Turkey in, the impact of the president’s actions may be far-reaching. Israel has long been supportive[…]
Analysis: Hezbollah’s precision missile project menaces Israel
“The enemy is on the defensive — we have always been on the defensive, now we are in attack mode,” Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah (pictured), declared last week. Although he has often issued blood-curdling threats against Israel, this was no mere sabre-rattling by the terror group head. As a newly updated report from BICOM reveals, Hezbollah[…]
Analysis: Bibi teeters on the brink
Benjamin Netanyahu’s decade-long spell in power may be coming to an end. A pre-indictment hearing into charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust levelled against the Israeli prime minister commenced in Jerusalem today, as his attempts to form a government following inconclusive elections last month appeared close to collapse. The two issues are intimately[…]
LFI chair assails Labour antisemitism
Dame Louise Ellman has launched a strong attack on antisemitism in the Labour party. In her first major speech since becoming chair of Labour Friends of Israel, she said she understood and shared the fear of many Jews about Jeremy Corbyn becoming prime minister. Speaking at the LFI annual reception at the Labour party conference,[…]
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