Tory leadership contenders demonstrate alarming bias toward Israel
By Susie Becher in The Times of Israel, published on 29 August 2022 Click here to read this article.
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The situation on the ground demonstrates the urgent need to make progress towards a Two-State Solution
Statement by UK Ambassador James Kariuki at the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East Let me start by welcoming the two-year anniversary of the Abraham Accords this month. The Abraham Accords are a historic milestone that bring us closer to the goal of shared prosperity and peace throughout the region. As…
Israeli Raids on Palestinian Civil Society Organizations: The Costs of International Inaction
When: Thursday, August 25, 2022 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT Where: Zoom Webinar Join legal and policy experts to hear how Israel’s measures to terminate the work of six prominent civil society organizations engaged in documenting violations of international law and supporting the International Criminal Court investigation of Israeli officials is harming defense of…
Statement on planning application for new settlement in the West Bank
On 12 September a planning committee in the West Bank will consider an application from the Israeli Defence Ministry for a large new settlement project in the E1 area of the West Bank, to the east of Jerusalem. In response representatives of the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church have…
Israel Raids Outlawed Palestinian Rights Groups’ Offices in West Bank
Defense Minister Benny Gantz declared six Palestinian human rights groups terrorist organizations in 2021, however, several European countries claim Israel had failed to prove these allegations. By Hagar Shezaf, Jack Khoury and The Associated Press on Aug 18, 2022 in Haaretz. The Israeli army raided the offices of several prominent Palestinian human rights organizations in…
Workshop on teaching the history of Israel-Palestine in schools
On Saturday, 25 June, the Balfour Project hosted an online workshop to encourage more schools to teach this subject. Ninety attended, of whom 25 were practising teachers, 18 of them currently teaching the subject. Over a hundred have viewed the recording since. Three history teachers spoke of the challenges and rewards of teaching this topic…
WATCH ONLINE: Raja Shehadeh: To Absent Fathers
In 1985, Raja Shehadeh’s father Aziz was murdered in a pre-meditated knife attack. The circumstances of the crime are the subject of his Strangers in the House. Today, through his new memoir, Shehadeh sheds a different light on the father-son relationship that still influences him 37 years on. We Could Have Been Friends, My Father And I is…
‘Strangers in My House’: Letters an Expelled Palestinian Sent David Ben-Gurion in 1948, Revealed
Sami Saada was expelled from his apartment in Haifa and in an attempt to reclaim the property sent letters to Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion. The letters went unanswered, but found their way into a new book. By Sheren Falah Saab, published in Haaretz on 10 Aug 2022. On July 11, 1948, nearly two…
Urging all parties to ensure the ceasefire in Gaza is durable and prevents further violence: UK statement to UN Security Council
Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the Security Council briefing on the situation in Gaza The United Kingdom joins fellow Council Members in welcoming the ceasefire in Gaza announced last night (August 8, 2022). We express our thanks to Egypt, Qatar and the office of UN Special Coordinator, Tor Wennesland, for their mediation efforts. We…
UNRWA struggles to meet $100m funding shortfall amid UK budget cuts
Severe cuts to Britain’s aid budget leave the agency that provides relief to Palestinian refugees struggling to carry out basic services From the i July 31, 2022 Palestinian refugees are facing three-minute doctor consultations and classes of up to 50 children as the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) struggles to meet a…
Palestinians and Israelis deserve equal measures of peace, security and prosperity
Statement by British Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council open debate on the situation in the Middle East, July 26, 2022 Thank you, President. And, I thank also Deputy Special Coordinator Hastings for her briefing. I’d also like to thank the United States for the update. We were pleased to see President Biden’s…
‘Apartheid’ is not sufficient: an interview with UN Human Rights Commissioner Miloon Kothari
UN Human Rights Commissioner Miloon Kothari explains why Apartheid is not enough to explain the root causes of the Palestinian crisis. By David Kattenburg, first published on Mondoweiss on 25 July 2022. Joe Biden’s trip to Israel, occupied Palestine and Saudi Arabia has come and gone. Citing “hostilities with Hamas over eleven days in May…
Informing and influencing the Westminster Parliament
The Balfour Project and CAABU (Council for Arab British Understanding) co-sponsored an event in the House of Commons on 13 July, hosted by David Jones MP (Conservative). Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, spelt out what the UN Agency does to support Palestinian refugees – providing state-like services – and asked MPs to press our Government…
The relentless theft of Occupied Territory
How the Bennett-Lapid Government ruled over the West Bank The presence of left-wing parties in the coalition did little to hinder the ‘change government’ from continuing construction in the West Bank and destroying Palestinian residences By Hagar Shezaf, published in Haaretz In an alternative reality, Har Bracha would be considered a suburb of Nablus, probably…
UK charities call for immediate end to closure of Gaza after 15 years of collective punishment and imposed fragmentation
Caabu is among 16 organisations to have signed onto this statement, calling for an immediate end to the closure of Gaza after 15 years of collective punishment and imposed fragmentation. 20th July 2022 Since June 2007, consecutive Israeli governments have imposed a severe closure regime and blockade on the civilian population of Gaza. This has…
The follies of Biden’s Middle East trip
The president’s July visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia picked up where his predecessor’s regional policies left off By Daniel Levy, published on Responsible Statecraft on 12 July 2022 President Biden’s trip to the Middle East is in danger of delivering a moment of self-mockery, taking to a new high the incredulity of the administration’s…
Children in Gaza need hope
“Gaza is hell on earth for children.” Those are the words of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres. This report from Save the Children explains why.In Gaza, as elsewhere in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the abnormal has become normal, by dint of constant repetition. Nothing about the life of children in Gaza…
Human Rights Watch: torture of Palestinians by Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza
Here is a disquieting report by Human Rights Watch and Lawyers for Justice. It examines breaches of Palestinian human rights by Palestinians – those in authority in the West Bank and Gaza. Like all Human Rights Watch reports, it is carefully documented. The British Government does not talk to Hamas, but has a close working…
Is Anti-Zionism a Form of Antisemitism?
Anti-Zionism as a Jewish Phenomenon Azmi Bishara General Director and Member of the Board of Directors of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies. Dr. Bishara is a researcher and writer with numerous books and publications on political thought, social theory and philosophy, as well as some literary works. He taught philosophy and cultural…
Report of the UN’s Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Situation of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel
Announcing Britain’s candidacy for a three-year term on the UN’s Human Rights Council in 2020, the then Minister of State for Human Rights, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, rightly said that respect for human rights sits at the heart of the international system. He declared that our Government fully supports the Council and the tools and…
Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is a fundamental barrier to peace
By Bambos Charalambous, Shadow Minister for the Middle East When it comes to the question of achieving peace in the Middle East, Labour is clear: in government, we would immediately recognise the state of Palestine. We want to see a two-state solution, with a sovereign and secure Palestine and Israel existing in peace alongside one…
From Balfour to Biden: universal values and international law versus national interests
By Sir Vincent Fean, Balfour Project Vice-Chair I was invited on 5 June to contribute virtually to a conference in Palestine to mark the 55th anniversary of the Six- Day War of 1967, leading to the occupation by Israel of Gaza, East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank. The other speaker from abroad…
Cycle of violence moves us further away from a peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians
UK Government at UN Security Council Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East (delivered on May 26, 2022) Sadly, the world’s attention has been drawn repeatedly to the fragile situation in the Middle East this month. We started with an appalling terror attack on…
Jerusalem: a Jewish city, a Christian city, a Muslim city
Holy Land Coordination 2022 Final Communiqué ‘If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand wither’Psalm 137:5 Recalling the Balfour Project statement: “Israel/Palestine: Equal Rights for lasting Peace” at our 2020 conference “Jerusalem: from past divisions to a shared future?”, we publish below the 26 May statement from Jerusalem by visiting Roman Catholic Bishops of…
Supporter comments on our conference – Abandoning Palestine: the end of the British Mandate and our continuing responsibility
Click here to watch recordings of our conference
Save Masafer Yatta Letter Writing Campaign
Dear [MP Name], I write to express my deep concern over the impending eviction and demolition of Masafer Yatta, a Palestinian community in the West Bank. On March 15th, Israel’s Supreme Court held a hearing to determine the future of eight of the twenty villages that make up Masafer Yatta. The Court has now ruled…
This is the biggest myth about Israel and the Nakba
Opinion: from the Israeli daily Haaretz It is one of the most enduring myths surrounding the 1948 war: The epic battle between a fearsome Arab Goliath and a new-born Israel to liberate Palestine. And it’s a fable that continues to inflict harm today. By Serai Assi May. 3, 2022 As Palestinians mark the 74th anniversary…
UK calls on all parties to take urgent steps to reduce tensions and avoid further escalation in Jerusalem
Statement by British Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East The UK shares the concerns expressed around this [Security Council] table about the fragile situation in Jerusalem. It is crucial that all parties take urgent steps to reduce tensions, and avoid further escalation. Jerusalem is a…
UK trade deal with Israel sends a clear message: apartheid is rewarded
By Sara Husseini and Mazen Masri, from Middle East Eye Without conditionality on human rights or a mechanism for accountability, how can an enhanced trading relationship be understood by Israel as anything other than support for its violations and war crimes? The UK’s Department for International Trade is currently considering public submissions ahead of negotiations…
Court overturns French ban on Palestine solidarity groups
Published by Ali Abunimah on Electronic Intifada, 2 May 2022. Emmanuel Macron’s war against campaigners for Palestinian rights suffered another big setback on Friday. The Conseil d’Etat, which acts as France’s supreme court ruling on government actions, suspended the president’s order banning two Palestine solidarity groups. The court upheld the right to call for a…
Is Israel’s rule in the occupied territories apartheid? Yes, finds report by the UN Human Rights Rapporteur
This is the full text of the report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Michael Lynk, to the UN Human Rights Council on March 21, 2022. In it, he comes to the conclusion after citing compelling evidence that Israel’s rule over these territories can now be termed…
UK call to prevent escalating tensions in Israel and occupied Palestinian territory as religious holidays approach
Statement by British Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council Delivered, March 22, 2022 Let me start by once again reinforcing the need to prevent a return to the violence we witnessed in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories last year. We share concerns about the escalating tensions in the West Bank, including East…
World Council of Churches Jerusalem Easter Initiative
Recalling our Balfour Project conference on Jerusalem in October 2020… (You can read the Balfour Project Jerusalem statement here.) The World Council of Churches (WCC) has launched this Easter initiative: “The WCC Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Easter seeks to connect the sacredness of Jerusalem with what is sacred to us as human beings:…
Amnesty International Report: Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians
On 1 February Amnesty International published an important report on Israel/Palestine. Here is the link to the text of the report, and here the link to Amnesty’s response to questions. Here is a Haaretz commentary on Israeli Government handling of the report. Our roundup of world comment and reaction begins with a review of the…
Apartheid: Israel’s inconvenient truth
By Chris McGreal (This article originally appeared in the February, 2022, edition of The Link, published by Americans for Middle East Understanding. In 2006, Jimmy Carter published his bestselling book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, to wide acclaim and a vicious campaign to discredit the former US president. Most of the criticism did not challenge Carter’s assessment…