In retaliation for last month’s announcement by the UK government that sanctions will be imposed on Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank, the government of Israel declared that it would force the closure of the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem. The Israeli government’s threat was both petulant and something it had no right to do. East Jerusalem is not part of Israel. It is …
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s package of sanctions against Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and particularly against its increasingly violent settlement programme, is the most significant reset of UK Middle East policy in a generation.
How Yvette Cooper can demonstrate Andy Burnham’s new ways of working in practice.
Early last year I wrote about the unlawful detention of Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, who had stood alone and unarmed in front of Israeli tanks as they advanced through the ruins of his hospital in Gaza. Nearly 18 months on, Dr Abu Safiya is still held in an Israeli prison. He has still not been put on trial.
For many people, the extent to which Andy Burnham is prepared to reset UK policy towards Israel and Palestine will be an important test of how far he can be trusted on issues much closer to home.
“Good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart.” The last words of Andy Burnham’s speech yesterday were quite something. Even for someone who has been around the world of politics for as many years as I have, this was the most inspirational speech I have heard from a prospective Party leader in a very long time.
I was Labour Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield between 1992 and 2019 and a former Shadow Transport Minister. I now chair Healthwatch in Birmingham and Solihull, and the West Midlands Board of Remembering Srebrenica. I also work as a public affairs consultant. I am an effective community advocate and stakeholder alliance builder with a passion for human rights. I am a trustee of the Balfour Project charity and of Citizens Advice Birmingham, and a former Chair of Medical Aid for Palestinians.