In a major step forward for a longstanding LFI policy ask, the UK will host a key peacebuilding conference on 12 March next year to help establish an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. The conference at Lancaster House will bring together civil society leaders from across the region and delivers Read more…
*** Check against delivery *** Introduction Thank you Stuart Friends It’s a real pleasure to be with you here at LFI’s annual lunch. I last addressed this event three years ago as Shadow Chancellor and a proud LFI vice-chair. Sadly, I had to stand down from the role of vice-chair Read more…
Embracing equality, diversity and common values by Mehereta Baruch I believe that the cornerstone of any liberal society is the principle of equality among all human beings. This belief is not abstract for me: it emerges from my personal biography – as a woman, a Jew, a Black person and Read more…
Labour Friends of Israel has today announced four new honorary vice-chairs, following the announcement last week of new honorary chair Mark Sewards MP. LFI welcomes Baroness Luciana Berger, Lord Steve McCabe, Newcastle North MP Catherine McKinnell and Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket MP Peter Prinsley as honorary vice-chairs. The four additions join Baroness Read more…
Turning pain into power by Lili Ben Ami In October 2019, my little sister, Michal Sela, was murdered in her home by her husband. Stabbed to death in her pyjamas, next to her baby’s crib. Michal was just 32 years-old. A bright, vibrant social worker. A free spirit. The first Read more…
Mark Sewards, the MP for Leeds South West and Morley, will be Labour Friends of Israel’s new honorary parliamentary chair. Mark succeeds Jon Pearce MP, who stood down in September following his appointment as the prime minister’s parliamentary private secretary. In his first visit since taking up the post, Mark met this weekend Read more…
At today’s Urgent Question in the House of Commons on the intelligence used by West Midlands police that led to the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending Villa Park on 6 November 2025, Labour MPs raised their concerns over revelations around the decision making process. East Kilbride and Read more…
LGBTQ+ youth are at the heart of democratic renewal in Israel by Yoni Avitan I often say that the story of IGY is the story of believing that change can – and must – begin from the margins. When Israel Gay Youth (IGY) was founded more than 20 years ago, it wasn’t designed as an institution or a service provider. It Read more…
Don’t give up hope! by Ori Kol Last October, Eran Nissan and his wife, Shir, were in the supermarket when they heard gunfire. Eran, who leads Mehazkim, called the police and stepped outside. In a nearby shop, he saw a young girl lying on the floor with a gunshot wound. He Read more…
At today’s statement from Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, she set out the government’s view that reform to remove antisemtic and inciteful content from the Palestinian Authority’s educational curriculum is “a crucial part of the Palestinian Authority reforms” required by the American peace plan. Responding to the Conservative frontbench, she said: Read more…
Water diplomacy in action by Gidon Bromberg In a region shaped by conflict and division, EcoPeace Middle East offers a compelling alternative: cooperation through environmental diplomacy. For over three decades, this Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian organisation has been championing one of the region’s most vital and politically charged issues – water. Founded in Read more…
“We share the land – can we share the future?” by Samer Sinijlawi With Saudi Arabia fast becoming the gravitational centre of Middle Eastern diplomacy, resolving the Palestinian question has never been more urgent. This is no longer just a moral imperative. It is a strategic necessity for Israel. Peace with the Palestinians unlocks a Read more…