Israel’s neglect of public advocacy and diplomacy in recent years led to a rise in antisemitism and support for Palestinian terrorist organisations, Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid said on Sunday, in a strong rebuke of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “They are doing this because no one explains to them Read more…
Palestinian activists and human rights organisations have called on Hamas and other terror groups to stop storing weapons in residential areas of Gaza following an explosion on Thursday. The explosion, which killed 1 person and injured 14 others, took place in a warehouse used by Hamas for storing weapons. Activists Read more…
The terrorist group Hamas, which has governed the Gaza Strip since it seized power in 2007, has this week threatened Israel over the supply of aid into Gaza. Incendiary The threats come in the context of incendiary balloon arson attacks, a Hamas practice since 2018. Terrorists in Gaza launched several incendiary Read more…
Iran’s deputy foreign minister said at the weekend that ongoing negotiations in Vienna to restore the 2015 nuclear deal will not resume until president-elect Ebrahim Raisi is sworn in next month. “We’re in a transition period as a democratic transfer of power is underway in our capital”, Abbas Araghchi tweeted. Read more…
Palestinian Authority security forces arrested a Palestinian singer for performing in the Israeli settlement of Ariel on Monday. The singer, a resident of Kafr ad-Dik, will be tried on charges of “promoting normalisation with Israel”, sources told the Jerusalem Post. The singer was invited to perform at a party hosted by Read more…
The new Israeli coalition government, led by prime minister Naftali Bennett, voted against a bill which would have annexed the West Bank in the Ministerial Committee on Legislation on Monday. Likud MK Miki Zohar dared Bennett’s right-wing Yamina party and their New Hope coalition partners, to support the legislation, despite Read more…
LFI last week launched a major new publication examining the changing shape of the Middle East. From the growing threat posed by Iranian expansionism to diplomatic shifting sands and demographic changes, The New Middle East: A Progressive Approach is an important contribution to Labour’s foreign policy development. Launch event The pamphlet was Read more…
The Palestinian Authority minister of labour, Nasri Abu Jaish, has been expelled by his party after refusing to resign in protest at the death of anti-corruption activist Nizar Banat last month. The left-wing Palestinian People’s Party (PPP) announced two weeks ago that it would withdraw from the PA government following Read more…
Isaac Herzog was sworn in as Israel’s eleventh president on Wednesday, with a promise to “lower the flames, to calm things down”. Herzog, a former leader of Israel’s Labor party and former chairman of the Jewish Agency, told members of the Knesset that he took his vow to act as a Read more…
Israel announced a series of relief measures for the Gaza Strip yesterday, including expanding the enclave’s fishing zone and the approval of additional imports and exports in the wake of relative calm along the Israel-Gaza border. The move followed international calls for humanitarian assistance for Gaza, which has been governed Read more…
LFI this week launches a major new publication on the changing shape of the Middle East. From demographic changes to diplomatic revolutions, and the growing threat posed by an expansionist Iran, The New Middle East: A Progressive Approach is designed to contribute to the evolution of Labour’s foreign policy development. What’s in it The Read more…
German foreign minister Heiko Maas said on Monday that he was confident of reaching a deal to save the 2015 Iran nuclear accord “in the coming weeks”. “We think (the talks) can reach their goal”, he told reporters in Madrid after a gathering of the Stockholm Initiative, a group of Read more…