Catherine McKinnell. Photo: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
LFI vice-chair Catherine McKinnell has written to Middle East minister James Cleverely following last week’s parliamentary debate calling for the UK to back an international fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Ms McKinnell’s debate is part of a long-running LFI campaign to secure greater support from the British government for peace-building work that brings Israelis and Palestinians together. The debate comes as the US Senate looks set to pass the bipartisan Middle East Partnership for Peace Act which would create and fund a major new initiative to invest in coexistence work. In her letter, Ms McKinnell writes: “As I made clear during the debate, there is a window of opportunity for the UK to support the crucial initiative of creating an international fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace. British expertise in this field will be vital in helping to shape the fund and our concrete support for this initiative would be of enormous significance.” She added: “With the incoming Biden administration, there is also the possibility for the UK to seize the moment in support of a truly multilateral proposal to advance peace in the Middle East.” Letter to James Cleverly MP – Israeli-Palestinian Peace Fund