Mark Sewards has become the first Labour Friends of Israel chair to visit the Kingdom of Bahrain, following a visit to Israel where he met senior political figures and peace activists. While in Israel, the MP for Leeds South West and Morley met Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog; the leader of Read more…
LFI honorary chair Mark Sewards has written the article below for Jewish News. Click here to read the original. This week, I am visiting Israel and Bahrain; my first trip to the region since becoming Labour Friends of Israel’s new parliamentary chair. My visit comes at a moment of huge Read more…
LFI honorary chair Mark Sewards met with Palestinian-American humanitarian peace activist Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib in parliament on 21 January. At Portcullis House, the Labour MP for Leeds South West and Morley discussed with the peace activist the progress made on the Gaza peace plan, the steps necessary as the second Read more…
LFI honorary chair Mark Sewards hosted a parliamentary event for 38 secondary school headteachers and heads of innovation from Jewish, Muslim and Arab schools across Israel as part of an ongoing UK–Israel education exchange focused on practical, classroom-led innovation. The delegation was led by Dr Sharon Greenberg, deputy chief executive Read more…
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…
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…
“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…
Building a democratic and inclusive Israel by Uriel Simonsohn This past year has tested the social fabric of Israeli society in ways we have not seen in a generation. Amid conflict and deepening divisions, it has become painfully clear that if we are to build a more equal, cohesive, and Read more…
Collaboration can build a stronger, healthier tomorrow by Mohammad Darawshe The tragic war in Gaza is the longest and most brutal war we’ve ever known, and has shattered everything we’ve worked so hard to build – mutual responsibility, compassion, trust, and a shared society between Arabs and Jews in Israel. Read more…
Building the infrastructure of peace by Meredith Rothbart Peace between Israelis and Palestinians seems more elusive than ever. Yet rather than simply giving up, we need to ask: has a holistic, coordinated effort to build a sustainable and more peaceful reality ever truly been attempted? At Amal-Tikva, we believe it Read more…
At today’s statement from the Prime Minister on the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Labour MPs pushed the government for greater support for peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians to ensure future peace. Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP Danny Beales asked: “I welcome the Prime Minister’s statement, which we all hope Read more…
Sowing regional seeds of hope Eli Bar-On, Dr Najah Al Otaibi and Ghanem Nuseiben In May, at the historic Château d’Ermenonville outside Paris, something remarkable happened. Dozens of leaders from across the Middle East and North Africa – Israelis, Palestinians, Moroccans, Egyptians, Bahrainis, Jordanians and many others – gathered not Read more…