Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

In Brief: Israelis back talks with Palestinians and settlement freeze

Photo: Crown Copyright, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 More than half of the Israeli public would like to see a meeting between prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, according to a poll commissioned by the Geneva Initiative Israel NGO. When asked whether Israel should enter political talks with the PA, 52.8 percent said yes, while…

In Brief: Amid speculation, Saudis reaffirm commitment to two-state normalisation

Crown prince Mohamad bin Salman > US State Department, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Saudi Arabia will not normalise ties with Israel without progress towards a two-state solution with the Palestinians, the kingdom’s top diplomat asserted last week. The comments by Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, followed reported discussion…

LFI chairs write to Israeli Ambassador on new government ministers

Today, LFI chair Steve McCabe MP and LFI Lords chair Baroness Ramsay have written to the Israeli Ambassador, Tzipi Hotovely, to express their concern about the appointment of certain ministers to the new coalition government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.   In the letter, Steve and Meta make clear that their support for Israel “goes beyond…

In Brief: Morocco announces expanded military cooperation with Israel

  Map of Morocco > Ian Macky, PAT Atlas, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons The Moroccan military announced this week that it had agreed to strengthen military cooperation with Israel, including in intelligence and cybersecurity, following defence meetings in Rabat. The two countries “agreed to further strengthen cooperation and expand it to other areas, including in intelligence, air…

LFI parliamentary supporter Kim Leadbeater writes to PM on coexistence fund

LFI parliamentary supporter Kim Leadbeater has today written to prime minister Rishi Sunak to push him to pledge UK participation in the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, a longstanding LFI campaign goal. The letter referenced Sunak's comments to Conservative Friends of Israel in December 2022, in which he committed to "explore with our U.S. allies joining…

Labour MPs raise threat from Iran

A number of LFI MPs and their colleagues have today used a backbench business debate in the House of Commons on the treatment of protestors in Iran to push the government to adopt a more comprehensive strategy towards Iran. In the debate, LFI vice-chair John Spellar MP twice repeated LFI's longstanding policy ask of proscribing the…

In Brief: Oman formally bans ties with Israel amid Iran intimidation

Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said > US State Department, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons The parliament of Oman, which has widely been speculated to be a prime candidate for future diplomatic normalisation with Israel, voted last week to criminalise relations or interactions with “the Zionist entity”. The legislation would “severe any economic, sports or…

In Brief: First rocket of year launched at Israel from Gaza Strip

Gaza Strip > NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons A rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on 3 January, according to Israeli military reports. The IDF said the projective landed inside Gaza itself, causing no injuries or damage. Incoming rocket sirens did not sound in nearby Israeli communities, as defence systems had projected it…

Analysis: Tens of thousands rally to oppose Israel’s new government

Israel's 37th government > Ronan 143, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia commons Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in recent weeks to show their opposition to the formation of Israel’s most right-wing government. What happened The new coalition government, led by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is made up of six parties: right-wing Likud,…

LFI partners with JLM at one day conference

Labour Friends of Israel was delighted today to partner with the Jewish Labour Movement to organise a series of sessions on Israel and the Middle East as part of their one-day conference. First up was a fascinating discussion between Dame Louise Ellman and Labour's shadow Middle East minister Bambos Charalambous, in which he committed Labour to…