The war launched by Hamas on 7 October has brought about an unprecedented level of coordination between Iran’s proxies, forcing Israel to fight a multi-front conflict for close to a year. In this paper, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis: Iran’s “Axis of Resistance”, we outline the origins of, and explain Read more…
This afternoon, LFI hosted a briefing on Iran’s malign activities in the Middle East and increasing support for Putin’s war on Ukraine. Chaired by Matthew Patrick MP, the panel included Kasra Aarabi, director of IRGC research at United Against Nuclear Iran, Jemima Shelley, senior analyst at the Tony Blair Institute, Read more…
This week, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken held a joint press conference on a number of international challenges facing the two countries, including the situation in the Middle East. During the conference, Lammy stressed the UK’s commitment to brokering peace in the Middle East. Read more…
Several Labour MPs have raised their constituents’ concerns with the government following this week’s announcement that the government would suspend some arms export licences to Israel. The three MPs representing Barnet in north London – David Pinto-Duschinsky, Sarah Sackman and Dan Tomlinson – have written to foreign secretary David Lammy Read more…
LFI director Michael Rubin has written the below article for The Times. Click here to read the original. Since the 7 October Hamas atrocities, Labour has steadfastly repeated its belief in Israel’s right to defend itself. It has been right to do so, but the government’s decision this week to suspend Read more…
Since 7 October, Israel has come under repeated, unprovoked and indiscriminate attack by Iran and its proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. We do not believe that restrictions on UK arms sales will help bring the tragic conflict in Gaza to a close or help ensure the release of the Read more…
This evening, LFI hosted a parliamentary briefing from Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari on her research around Hamas’s systematic use of sexual violence on 7 October and the horrors still faced by female hostages being kept in tunnels in Gaza. She also discussed the abandonment of Israeli women by the UN and Read more…
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has today condemned the killing of six Israeli hostages in Gaza by Hamas as “horrific and senseless”. The IDF said the bodies of Carmel Gat, 40, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Alexander Lobanov, 33, Almog Sarusi, 27, and Ori Danino, 25, were found and recovered on Read more…
Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited Israel again this weekend, with his French counterpart Stéphane Séjourné, as ceasefire talks brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt have gotten underway. The foreign secretary said Israeli ministers had told him “they hope we are on the cusp of a deal”. He added that Read more…
This afternoon, Foreign Secretary David Lammy met with the Chief Rabbi. The Chief Rabbi posted on X, stating that the pair discussed the “imminent and vast threats facing Israel across the Middle East, UK Government decisions relating to the conflict, the urgent importance of freeing the hostages, achieving long term Read more…
Both yesterday and today, the UK joined allies in calling for de-escalation in the Middle East and reiterated collective support for Israel’s defence. The statement, issued by the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy “expressed our full support for ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions Read more…
The rising tension in the Middle East has fundamentally one root cause: the Iranian regime’s four-decade-long visceral hatred of Israel and its desire to extend its power and influence throughout the region. Through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Tehran funds, arms, trains and directs “the axis of resistance”, a network Read more…