First published by the Middle East Eye on 2/12/2019 Israel knows it has a strong ally in the Conservative Party, while Labour positions its policy firmly in support of justice and international law A protester ties the Palestine flag to a lamppost opposite Downing Street on 5 September (Reuters) With days to go until the …
Continue reading UK election: Where do political parties stand on Palestine?
First published by the Middle East Monitor on 9/2/2018 President Donald Trump address to Congress in Washington, US on 30 January 2018 [Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency] Since US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the subsequent decision to cut American funding to UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian leadership …
First published by the Middle East Eye on 6/2/2018 If it is to be taken seriously as a broker for peace, the EU must make disruptive decisions to pressure Israel, just as the US has been doing against Palestinians The past few weeks have been transformational for the prospects, or rather lack thereof, for peace …
Continue reading EU is all talk and no action on Israel-Palestine conflict
First published by the Arab Weekly on 2/7/2017 British Prime Minister Theresa May There are questions with regards to what effects the snap elections have on British foreign policy towards Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. The Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Theresa May, won 318 seats in parliament but that was eight seats …
Continue reading Pro-Israel positions likely to continue with new British landscape
First published by the Middle East Eye on 29/6/2017 The president has hit a new low, cutting the salaries and electricity of Palestinians in Gaza. The next intifada will be against the Palestinian National Authority and this should worry Israel and Abbas Photo: A photo of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from 2016 (AFP) The embattled …
Continue reading Mahmoud Abbas has led the Palestinians to a dead end. He must go
First published by the Arab Weekly on 30/4/2017 The Balfour Declaration is a letter from Arthur Balfour, then the British foreign secretary, to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland, dated November 2, 1917. The critical part of this short letter said: “His Majesty’s government view[s] with favour the establishment in Palestine of a …
Continue reading Can the Palestinians sue Britain over Balfour?
The Middle East Monitor publiched my article on 15/1/2016 Abbas commits to more negotiations while violence escalates Image from the Middle East Monitor In his first speech of 2016, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas reviewed the situation facing the Palestinians and set out his approach for the forthcoming year. He started with the …
Continue reading Abbas commits to more negotiations while violence escalates
'The window is closing fast on the 2-state solution'. That is a statement that most western leaders regurgitate on an almost daily basis to explain the urgency of restarting the 'peace process'. But when will the 2-state solution window finally close and who will make that critical announcement? Who ever makes it, the question …
Continue reading when will the 2-state solution window actually close?
Gaza devastation, 2014 In interviews with the Jewish Chronicle, Conservative leader David Cameron and Labour Leader Ed Miliband tried to outdo each other in the depth of their friendship with Israel. They both understood Israel had a 'duty' to protect its citizens, and while Miliband questioned the proportionality of Israel's response to last summer's …
Continue reading What would Miliband or Cameron do if Britain was occupied?
Transcript of talk by Sir Vincent Fean at SOAS on 20 January 2015 Israel/Palestine – does recognising both states make a difference? My deep thanks for the opportunity to discuss the Israel/Palestine conflict, and what action we in the United Kingdom can take to advance the prospect of peace with justice and democracy in the …
Continue reading Talk on Palestine / Israel by former UK Consul-General to Jerusalem
