Labour Friends of Israel

Labour Friends of Israel
Abbreviation LFI
Formation October 1957 (1957-10)
Purpose Promotes support for a strong bilateral relationship between Britain and Israel
Headquarters London
Chair
 Joan Ryan
Website Official website

Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) is a group in the Parliament of the United Kingdom that promotes support for a strong bilateral relationship between Britain and Israel, and seeks to strengthen ties between the British Labour Party and the Israeli Labor Party. LFI supports a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, with Israel recognised and secure within its borders, and the establishment of a viable Palestinian state.[1] As of September 2018 it includes about 80 Labour MPs, most of whom are not Jewish.[2]

History

LFI was founded in 1957 at the Labour Party Conference,[3] and has developed into one of the larger special interest groups in the party, drawing wide support from Members of Parliament and Government Ministers. Labour Friends of Israel has a large membership, organised into local branches. Seeking to strengthen the bond between the Labour Party and the Israeli Labor Party, it organises meetings of senior figures in both the UK and Israel.

New Labour-era and height of prominence

In 2003, LFI described itself as "a Westminster based lobby group working within the British Labour Party to promote the State of Israel".[4] It has been described as "less unquestioning in its support of the Israeli government than the Conservative Friends of Israel".[5] Between 2001 and 2009 LFI sponsored more than 60 MPs to visit Israel, more than any other group.[5]

In 2011, LFI adopted a new strategy of becoming a wider membership organisation and operating under the slogan "Working Towards a Two-State Solution". In 2010, Jennifer Gerber, previously director of Progress, was appointed director, and in 2011 John Woodcock was appointed chair.[6][7][8] Dame Anne McGuire succeeded Woodcock as chair in May 2013.[9]

Corbyn-era and divisions within party

With the ascent to the leadership of the Labour Party of Jeremy Corbyn, who has a history of support for Palestinians, the relationship between the LFI and the party leadership became more complicated, despite maintaining a large presence in the Parliamentary Labour Party. In 2015, Joan Ryan, MP for Enfield North, succeeded McGuire, becoming the new chair.[10] Members of LFI, along with the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council, have taken part in protests critical of the Corbyn leadership, stating that antisemitism is present in the Labour Party under his tenure.

In early 2017, Al Jazeera released a four-part documentary entitled The Lobby, which looked at the Israel lobby in the United Kingdom and the Labour Party especially.[11] A member of Israeli embassy staff, Shai Masot, was recorded "plotting" to take down British MPs who favour recognition of a Palestinian state; links to the Labour Friends of Israel were put under the spotlight.[12][13]

The charitable Yigal Allon Educational Trust, founded in 1985 by former Prime Minister Harold Wilson, Ian Mikardo MP, Lord Glenamara and others, has supported Labour Friends of Israel.[14][15] Labour Friends of Israel is a distinct organisation to the Jewish Labour Movement, the affiliated socialist society and successor to the UK's Poale Zion.

Members of LFI

As of August 2018, around 80 MPs and 20 members of the House of Lords were supporters.[16] In alphabetical order, former and current members of Labour Friends of Israel include:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Oborne, Peter and Jones, James (16 November 2009). "Friends in high places". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  2. ↑ Cook, Jonathan (September 6, 2018). "The Israel lobby's non-stop attacks on Corbyn will backfire". Middle East Eye. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Labour Friends of Israel (8 December 2008). "Labour Friends of Israel – 50 Years".
  4. ↑ "Labour Friends Of Israel website – about us". 1 August 2003. Archived from the original on 1 August 2003. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
  5. 1 2 Black, Ian (16 November 2009). "Pro-Israel lobby group bankrolling Tories, film claims". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  6. ↑ Marcus Dysch (7 September 2010). "New strategy for Labour Friends of Israel". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  7. ↑ Bright, Martin (13 January 2011). "Israel friends change tack and relaunch". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  8. ↑ Dysch, Marcus (19 October 2011). "Labour Friends go to Israel". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  9. 1 2 "Stirling MP Anne McGuire to chair Labour Friends of Israel". The Jewish Chronicle. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  10. ↑ Marcus Dysch (10 August 2015). "Don't vote for Jeremy Corbyn, urges new Labour Friends of Israel chair Joan Ryan". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "The Lobby". Al Jazeera. January 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  12. ↑ Ewen MacAskill (8 January 2017). "Israeli diplomat who plotted against MPs also set up political groups". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  13. ↑ Justin Cohen (21 March 2017). "Labour dismiss complaint against Joan Ryan MP over Al Jazeera series". Jewish News. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  14. ↑ "Yigal Allon Educational Trust". Stone Ashdown Trust. Archived from the original on 9 November 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  15. ↑ Charity Commission. Yigal Allon Educational Trust, registered charity no. 327009.
  16. ↑ "LFI Supporters In Parliament". Labour Friends of Israel. Labour Friends of Israel. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  17. ↑ Symons, Leon; et al. "David Abrahams gave in secret 'to quell conspiracy fears'". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 9 December 2007.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 "Who We Are". Labour Friends of Israel. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008.
  19. ↑ Bell, Stuart (30 January 2008). "Sir Stuart Bell MP, Biography". Archived from the original on 30 January 2008.
  20. ↑ "Royle Family star Ricky Tomlinson could run for parliament in Liverpool". Liverpool Echo. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  21. 1 2 Assaf Uni, Finance scandal has local community worried, Haaretz, 10 December 2007.
  22. 1 2 Temko, Ned, Behind-the-scenes group's unerring knack of backing the right man, The Guardian, 2 December 2007.
  23. ↑ Brown, Gordon (25 September 2007). "Speech by Gordon Brown to the LFI Annual Reception". Labour Friends of Israel. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007.
  24. 1 2 Wright, Oliver (10 October 2010). "Anger grows within Labour over forced Palestinian vote". The Independent. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  25. ↑ Gapes, Mike (4 July 2001). "House of Commons Hansard Debates". House of Commons, UK.
  26. ↑ "LFI supporters in Parliament". Retrieved 2016-07-03.
  27. ↑ H. M. Cabinet Office (2003). "Speaker Biographies, Ivan Lewis MP".
  28. ↑ Dysch, Marcus (25 February 2015). "Labour MP Michael McCann calls for total Hamas ban". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  29. ↑ Hope, Christopher (9 February 2007). "Jon Mendelsohn profile: a real Mr Fix-It". The Daily Telegraph.
  30. ↑ Mulholland, Hélène (3 October 2008). "Profile – Jim Murphy". The Guardian.
  31. ↑ Dysch, Marcus (22 September 2016). "MPs flock to support Labour Israel group". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  32. ↑ "Five days in Israel – James Purnell MP, chairman of Labour Friends of Israel, visits a kibbutz, meets Ehud Barak and attends a peace conference in Tel Aviv". The Guardian. 12 December 2002.
  33. ↑ Kite, Melissa and Hennessy, Patrick (5 January 2005). "David Blunkett to return to the Cabinet in major reshuffle". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 23 November 2007.
  • Official website
  • Labour Friends of Israel, 1997 General Election information, 1 May 1997
  • Foreign Secretary Jack Straw (2 November 2005). "United Kingdom and Israel Share the Same Democratic Values". Labour Friends of Israel event speech. Archived from the original on 28 December 2005.
  • Speech by PM Tony Blair to LFI Annual Reception, Prime Minister Tony Blair, 26 September 2006
  • Speech by Gordon Brown to the LFI Annual Reception, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, 25 September 2007
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