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In Brief: UK-Israel trade grows by a third, with major pharma growth

UK and Israel flags > UK in Israel, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons The UK’s latest figures on bilateral trade between the UK and Israel have shown a major increase in business between the two countries in recent months, growing by 33 percent. A Department for International Trade and Investment report, released last week, reveals how British…

Analysis: Israel’s 2022 election: a review

Ballots papers of Israeli legislative election, 2019 > Laliv g, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Talks between former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and smaller right-wing and far-right parties have begun following last week’s Israeli election, which saw Netanyahu emerge as the likeliest next premier. What happened With all the votes counted and Knesset seats apportioned by…

In Brief: Protests continue in Iran despite violent regime response

Ayatollah Khamenei. Image Credit: Tasnim News, CC BY 4.0. Iranians have continued staging new protests denouncing their country’s theocratic regime in defiance of a brutal crackdown that has seen those arrested put on trial and facing the death penalty. For the past six weeks, the regime has been rocked by protests on a scale unseen since the 1979…

In Brief: Hamas and Assad’s Syria reconcile after decade hiatus

Bashar al-Assad > Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons The Biden administration last week warned against any normalisation of diplomatic ties with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, insisting that his recent reconciliation with Palestinian terror group was an illustration of Assad’s “isolation”. Assad, who has been gradually restoring links with the Arab world after prevailing in Syria’s…

In Brief: Lebanon enters new political crisis with no president

Haidar Almoqdad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Following a series of years-long crises, Lebanon has entered a new period of instability following the end of President Michel Aoun’s term without a successor having been chosen. Aoun’s six-year term, which ended on Sunday, saw mass protests, a huge economic downturn, and the explosion at Beirut’s port in August…

Analysis: Israel awaits coalition options as election strengthens Netanyahu

Ballots papers of Israeli legislative election, 2019 > Laliv g, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons With final numbers in the Knesset still undetermined, yesterday’s election – the fifth in three years – will likely allow former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a coalition government. Where we are  With some 86 percent of votes counted,…

LFI chair and shadow Middle East Minister meet Palestinian start-up delegation

This morning, LFI chair Steve McCabe MP and shadow Middle East Minister Bambos Charalambous MP met with a UK-Palestinian Tech Hub delegation of Palestinian start-ups to discuss the opportunities and challenges in Palestinian economic development, a vital aspect of working towards the creation of a Palestinian state. They heard about the impact of the unresolved…

In Brief: Iran tensions mount as students defy regime crackdown

Ayatollah Khamenei. Image Credit: Tasnim News, CC BY 4.0. Iranian students have been protesting this week at multiple universities, defying a violent crackdown by the regime. The protests came as part of a bloody crackdown while tensions mount ahead of the 40 day anniversary of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini’s death in the custody of the regime's ‘morality police’ last month. “A…

In Brief: Israel to present evidence of Iranian drones in Ukraine

Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani > Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Israel’s president Isaac Herzog will present evidence to US officials during meetings in Washington this week which proves that Iranian drones are being used by Russian forces in Ukraine. Herzog arrived in Washington on Tuesday for a short visit that will include a meeting…

Analysis: Fifth time lucky? Israelis head to the polls (again)

Ballots papers of Israeli legislative election, 2019 > Laliv g, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Israelis will go to the polls next week for the fifth time in three years, in an election that has increasingly become a referendum on the return of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Here we go again Following the…