At a meeting of foreign ministers hosted by the UK, the UK government, along with partners Australia and Canada, has announced the establishment of a new International Peace Fund for Israelis and Palestinians. The fund will prioritise long-term peacebuilding to build new constituencies for peace, and foster the values of trust, empathy and dialogue between…
Labour Friends of Israel warmly welcomes the launch of the International Peace Fund, backed by the UK, Australia and Canada, to support grassroots peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians and the pledge of £3m in initial funding.
LFI has advocated for Britain to support an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace for the past decade, supporting the…
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 Labour’s sister party, the…
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 opportunity and challenge. Israelis…
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 phase is set to…
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 for research and development…
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper MP
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 on…
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 quickly realised this wasn’t…
“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 new regional reality: one where…
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 democratic Israel, we must…
