Today, LFI publishes a new paper: Labour, Israel & Palestine: Lessons from the Blair-Brown years. Authored by Dr Toby Greene, the paper analyses the context and approach taken by the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and outlines the lessons that can be learnt for our new Labour government. The 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…
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…
Newly-elected Labour prime minister Keir Starmer has today spoken with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. In his call with Netanyahu, the Prime Minister “said he looked forward to further deepening the close relationship between the two countries”. They went on to discuss the Read more…
Israeli politicians from across the political spectrum have sent their congratulations to Keir Starmer upon his election as prime minister following yesterday’s general election. Israeli president Isaac Herzog, a former leader of Labour’s Israeli sister party, was among the first world leaders to tweet his congratulations, saying “I look forward Read more…
This week, an LFI delegation of MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates visited Israel and the Palestinian territories. Led by LFI chair Steve McCabe MP, this is the second such trip undertaken since October 7. The group met with Israeli and Palestinian politicians, officials and NGOs in Jerusalem and Ramallah, including Read more…
LFI director Michael Rubin has written the below article for the Fathom Journal. Click here to read the original. After 7 October the idea that any Palestinian actor can be trusted to control territory on Israel’s borders is scarcely credible to most Israelis. Yet the US, the UK, and the EU Read more…
LFI director Michael Rubin has written the below article for Jewish News. Click here to read the original. The furore over the candidacy of Azhar Ali in Rochdale is a potent reminder of both the power – and destructive quality – of conspiracy theories. Keir Starmer’s decision to withdraw Labour’s support Read more…
Military situation in Gaza This week saw the heaviest single day losses for the IDF in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the ground operation, with 24 soldiers killed on 22 January. Some 21 were killed after being hit with RPGs while preparing explosives to demolish buildings in eastern Khan Younis, Read more…
LFI had a major presence at today’s Jewish Labour Movement one-day conference in north London, including a stall and several sessions on issues relating to Israel and the wider Middle East. The day began with an event on the future of the Israeli left, chaired by former LFI chair Louise Read more…
LFI director Michael Rubin has written the below article for the Jewish News. Click here to read the original. The catastrophic Israel-Hamas war is an irreversible turning point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The diplomatic priority for the international community in the short term is the massive humanitarian needs of Gazans and Read more…
Latest developments A month on from Hamas’s October 7 mass terror attack, Israeli ground forces are advancing deeper into Gaza city, and closing in on Hamas’s main command centre, located underneath the Al Shifa Hospital. The IDF continues to target Hamas’s underground tunnel network and military infrastructure, and have released Read more…