Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East

Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East
source
Name	Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East
Founded	1982
Headquarters	London
Type	Lobby group
Location	United Kingdom
Focus	Middle East relations
Leader title	Chair

Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East is a British parliamentary group associated with the Labour Party (UK), formed to promote links between British social democrats and political actors across the Palestinian territories and the Middle East. It works to influence British policy on Israel–Palestine issues, to facilitate visits and exchanges between Members of Parliament and regional actors, and to advocate positions on peace processes such as the Oslo Accords and proposals for a two-state solution. The group operates alongside other parliamentary friendship groups and interacts with civil society organisations, diplomatic missions, and international bodies.

History

The group was established in 1982 amid rising global attention to the Lebanese Civil War and the First Intifada, following earlier diplomatic activism around the Camp David Accords and the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty. Early founders included Labour parliamentarians influenced by contacts with the Palestine Liberation Organization and solidarity movements that had engaged with the Anti-Apartheid Movement and trade unions such as the Trades Union Congress. During the 1980s and 1990s the group organised delegations to the Occupied Palestinian territories, met with figures from the Palestinian National Authority and Israeli peace groups such as Peace Now (Israel), and engaged with debates surrounding the Madrid Conference of 1991 and the Oslo Accords. In the 2000s and 2010s the group continued cross-party interaction with foreign ministries like the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and engaged with leaders including members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and Israeli Knesset members from parties such as Meretz and Israeli Labor Party.

Organisation and membership

The organisation is structured as a parliamentary support group with officers drawn from House of Commons and sometimes the House of Lords. Chairs and vice-chairs have included notable MPs and peers who have held or contested shadow portfolios within the Labour Party (UK). Membership comprises dozens of Labour MPs, peers, councillors from local authorities such as Islington Council and Bradford Council, trade union affiliates including representatives from unions with historic ties to Labour like Unite the Union and GMB, and constituencies with significant diaspora communities from cities such as Birmingham, Leeds, and Manchester. The group's secretariat liaises with diplomatic missions such as the Palestinian National Authority diplomatic missions and engages research input from think tanks including Chatham House and the Quaker Council for European Affairs.

Political positions and activities

The group advocates a negotiated settlement based on internationally recognised frameworks such as UN Security Council Resolution 242 and supports the principle of a two-state solution endorsed in instruments like the Quartet on the Middle East communiqués. It has called for recognition of Palestine in various forms and for conditional approaches to arms sales involving nations like Israel under scrutiny relating to international humanitarian law and rulings of bodies such as the International Court of Justice. The organisation campaigns on issues including settlement expansion in the West Bank, access and movement restrictions at crossings like Allenby Bridge, humanitarian aid to areas like the Gaza Strip, and the status of East Jerusalem. It organises parliamentary questions, early-day motions, and debates in the House of Commons and arranges fact-finding missions to locations such as Ramallah and Gaza City.

Campaigns and advocacy

Campaign efforts have ranged from promoting parliamentary motions supporting humanitarian corridors in times of crisis to advocating for development assistance through institutions like the Department for International Development (prior to its merger), and encouraging Labour policy platforms to address issues raised by organisations such as Oxfam and Amnesty International. The group has supported consumer and institutional actions including calls for boycotts or divestment measures debated in contexts involving campaigners such as Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions advocates, coordinated meetings with diaspora organisations including Palestine Solidarity Campaign and cultural exchanges with institutions like the British Council. It also runs conferences and seminars with academics from universities such as SOAS University of London and University of Oxford and with diplomats from embassies including Embassy of Palestine, London.

Controversies and criticism

The organisation has been the subject of political contention within the Labour Party (UK), particularly during periods when the party’s leadership and disciplinary structures addressed allegations of antisemitism and bias in foreign policy debates involving Israel. Critics have accused the group of endorsing positions aligned with activists such as leading proponents of the BDS movement; defenders argue their advocacy is grounded in human rights frameworks like reports from Human Rights Watch and International Committee of the Red Cross. There have been disputes over invitations extended to controversial speakers and the timing of delegations during armed conflicts like the Gaza Wars, prompting criticism from figures in the Board of Deputies of British Jews and some Israeli government officials. Internal Labour disputes have occasionally led to public resignations or rebukes involving MPs and peers associated with the organisation.

Relations with other groups and governments

The group maintains ties with parliamentary friendship groups and international actors including the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe delegates, cross-party groupings such as Conservative Friends of Israel (for inter-group meetings), and NGOs like Medical Aid for Palestinians. It engages bilaterally with diplomatic missions including the Embassy of Israel, London and the Embassy of Palestine, London as well as regional ministries such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel) and the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The group participates in multilateral discussions with entities like the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and liaises with European counterparts such as members of Friends of Palestine in the European Parliament. Category:United Kingdom political advocacy groups