LFPME was established in early 2009 to champion justice and freedom for the Palestinian people at the highest political levels in the UK and Europe.

The event will be supported by Gerald Kauffman MP, Brian Iddon MP, the former Mayor of Manchester Cllr Afzal Khan, and prospective parliamentary candidates Yasmin Qureshi, Mariam Khan, Simon Danczuk & others.

For too long the voices of the many for has been drowned out by an established & well funded pro Israel or right wing lobby groups. Only with your support can we bring balance, fairness and justice to Palestine.

Ticket price: £20 per head

Limited places available

Give Palestine a Political voice in the UK Parliament, support Labour Friends of Palestine

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Jews for Justice for Palestinians

Invite you to a meeting on

 

Israel’s offensive on Gaza and the Goldstone report

Wednesday, 17 March, 6:30 pm – 8 pm, Committee room 4, House of Lords.

Speakers

Col. Desmond Travers

Col. Travers will speak on the conduct of the offensive, and particularly on the consequences that are still with us relating to the weapons used, the military operations and the continuing blockade, and the effect of all that on the environment in Gaza. Col. Travers was the military member of the Goldstone Commission. He is a Colonel (ret) of the Irish Army and is now on the Board of the Institute for International Criminal Investigations (IICI) based in The Hague. He has commanded troops and held senior staff positions in various UN and EU peace support missions in Cyprus, Lebanon, and the former Yugoslavia.

Professor Iain Scobbie

Professor Scobbie will speak on issues of international law sraised by the hostilities, and on the Goldstone Report. Professor Scobbie is the Sir Joseph Hotung Research Professor in Law, Human Rights and Peace Building in the Middle East, at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He specialises in public international law, particularly relating to the Israeli-Palestinian situation.

Places are limited, so please reply to JFJFPag@blueyonder.co.uk to confirm your attendance. Use St. Stephen’s Entrance (the big security gate) and allow about 30 minutes to pass through security.

Room booked in the name of Baroness Northover

EYEWITNESS GAZA

Report back Event Monday 1^st March 2010, House of Commons, 7 – 9pm

Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East (LFPME) and the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) will hold a public report-back event, ‘Eyewitness Gaza’, on the 1^st March 7-9pm in the House of Commons.

Speakers will discuss the dire humanitarian situation in the occupied Gaza Strip, the refugee crisis, the political status of the Strip, the role of the international community, the Goldstone Report and actions that can be taken to bring about an end to the illegal siege.

Last month the PRC and European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza organised a successful delegation of 55 parliamentarians from across Europe, including a number of representatives of LFPME, to tour the devastated Strip. Speakers at the event met many victims of Israel’s massacre and are in a unique position to provide eyewitness accounts of the current situation.

Speakers will include:

Lord Nazir Ahmed,

Majed al-Zeer (Director, PRC)

Jeremy Corbyn MP,

Richard Howitt MEP,

Gerald Kaufman MP,

Martin Linton MP

Arafat Madi (Chair, European campaign to end the siege on Gaza)

Bob Marshall-Andrews QC MP,

More tbc

There will be time for a question and answer session.

RSVP to: lfpme@labourfriendsofpalestine.co.uk,

Further information and press enquiries:

Tom Charles tom@labourfriendsofpalestine.co.uk, 07884182408

Join the event on facebook

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Annual Reception – Wednesday 13th January 2010, 7.30pm

Annual Reception – Wednesday 13th January 2010, 7.30pm  – Report here

The Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East annual reception will be held on Wednesday 13^th January.

After the success of our launch event last year, we hope to reflect the growing support for LFPME that has developed over the past 12 months.  We will be looking back at the past year and looking forward to the coming.

Speakers will include Ilan Pappe and Ismail Patel who will be reflecting on the events in Palestine over the last year.

We hope that our members are able to join us for this occasion. If you have not yet recieved your invitation please email lfpme@labourfriendsofpalestine.co.uk

Not a member yet? Then why not join up on the join page. Click here for further information.

 

Palestine Memorial Week

13^th to 19^th January 2010 in UK/Europe

Marking the first anniversary of Israeli onslaught on Gaza

 

Called by:

 

The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), Palestinian Forum in the UK, European Campaign to End Siege on Gaza, Islamic forum of Europe (IFE), Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS), Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), Islamic Human Rights Commission in Britain (IHRC), Student Council Goldsmith University and Action Palestine

 

1- Wednesday, 13th of January: Commemorating the First Anniversary of Gaza War.
Venue, Friends House, London Euston from 6-30 PM to 9-30 PM.
 
Speakers include:

 Clare Short MP,

Baroness Jenny Tonge,

Bob Marshall – Andrews MP,

Jeremy Corbyn MP

Ken Loach, Film Director and activist

Lord Nazir Ahmed

Majed al Zeer, PRC General Director

Om Kamel Al kurd, From Occupied Jerusalem

Sameh A. Habeeb, PRC representative and Witness from Gaza.

Ewa Jasiewicz, Activist and Witness From Gaza

Peter Eyre, Middle East Expert, Presentation on Gaza Recent conditions

Arafat Madi, Head Of European Campaign To End Siege on Gaza

Other speakers from the participating organizations.

Short videos will be screened.

Tuesday 24 November, 7pm in Committee Room 14, House of Commons, Parliament

“Implementing the Goldstone Report – Bring war criminals to justice  -  End the siege on Gaza”

The meeting will mark the UN’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, and focus on the need for the UN and the British government to act on the Goldstone Report and war crimes, and end Israel’s siege on Gaza.

This meeting is hosted by Jeremy Corbyn MP.

Speakers include:

Prof Manuel Hassassian

Jeremy Corbyn MP

Baroness Lindsay Northover

Martin Linton MP

Bob Marshall-Andrews MP QC

Baroness Jenny Tonge

Daniel Machover

Free entry, no need for registration. Make sure to allow for plenty of time for security at the St Stephens entrance.

19th May 2009
Attended ‘Occupation, Colonialism, Apartheid’ briefing for MPs

16th May 2009
Attended National Demonstration, Trafalgar Square, Martin Linton MP speaks on behalf of LFPME
Attended ‘Occupation, Colonialism, Apartheid: A re-assessment of Israel’s practices in the occupied Palestinian territories under international law’ at SOAS

13th May 2009
Attend protest at Foreign Office against visit of Israeli Foreign Secretary Avigdor Lieberman

23rd April 2009
LFPME delegation meets with Prime Minister Gordon Brown

1st April 2009
Attend G20 protest Trafalgar Square

13th March 2009
Mark McDonald of LFPME, & Claude Moraes MEP spoke at South Woodford Muslim Community Centre about the EU Trade Agreement with Israel.

“What can people say to their children when they ask ‘Why?’ A child cannot understand that they are being attacked because they are Palestinian”

LFPME/PSC report back event, committee room 9, House of Commons, March 11th 2009

The Britain-Palestine All-Party parliamentary Group visited the Gaza strip and West Bank between the 14th and 20th of February. Richard Burden MP, Andy Slaughter MP, Sarah Tether MP, Tony Lloyd MP, Sara Apps and Martin Linton MP reported back on what they saw. They were joined by LFPME’s Michelle Harris, musician Lowkey and Gazan journalist Sameh Habeeb.

Richard Burden MP spoke of the destruction of the Gaza strip, describing the tented cities where the refugees live. Richard talked about an Israeli attack on a UN store, the destruction of a music school, and said that he saw evidence of white phosphorous at a hospital attacked by Israel.
Richard also spoke of the need for Israel to be held to account for what had happened as the only way to prevent a repeat of the massacres.

Andy Slaughter MP told those gathered about a round table meeting attended by members of Hamas, Fatah and independent politicians. At the meeting Fatah said they would respect the results of the next election in 2010. Andy said that the Palestinian politicians at the meeting now consider Israel as too extreme to deal with.
He also revealed that Palestinians are fully in favour of a downgrading of the EU-Israel Association agreement and support an arms embargo on Israel.
Andy also believes that Israel has completely abandoned the 2-state solution, reflected in the rapid increase in settlement building and expansion.

Sarah Tether MP described seeing whole villages that had been razed to the ground: “as far as the eye could see, it was total destruction”, comparing the refugee crisis to the one that occurred in 1948.

Residents that Sarah spoke to did not differentiate between the attacks of 1948, 1967 and 2008/9. She said that anger was “rare, passivity and acceptance have become normal”.
Sarah met a man named Abdul Karim whose home had been destroyed by the Israelis, but who would return every day with his family to sit by the rubble of their house because they didn’t know what else to do.
She told the gathering that official Liberal Democrat policy is now to impose an arms embargo on Israel and to suspend the EU-Israel Association agreement if Israel does not allow rebuilding materials in to Gaza.
Sarah warned that we “can’t let Israel get away with it otherwise people in the Middle East will lose faith in the rule of law”.

Tony Lloyd MP spoke of the economic situation, saying that the economic blockade is “bleeding the economy of Gaza” and said that opening the crossings would allow the Palestinians to trade with the world.

Jamal El Khoudary The independent member of parliament from Palestine, chair of the board of directors at Gaza university and the head of the Popular committee against the siege, thanked the gathering for their solidarity, but asked for freedom and an independent state, not just aid.

He said that the term “war” suggests a fight between two armies, and that what had happened in December 2008 and January 2009 was not war, but a “massacre of the innocent”, criticising the media for not showing these facts.

Mr Khoudary spoke of destroyed Gazan infrastructure, and also said that the people of Gaza are no longer scared. He said that the first relief after the attack was from the people of Gaza, who showed their “steadfastness” by sharing what they could to try to survive.
He asked “what can people say to their children when they ask ‘why?’ A child cannot understand that they are being attacked because they are Palestinian”.
Mr Khoudhry outlined the challenges for the Palestinians and the solidarity movement:

· Rebuilding Gaza requires the borders to be opened, which means work by the Palestinians and the international solidarity movement

· The ending of the Israeli siege

· Ensuring that the Palestinian government in Gaza receives the money promised for rebuilding,

Sara Apps hailed the resilience and adaptability of the Palestinian people after her visit to Gaza. She described the situation as “not a normal conflict, it is occupier against occupied” with “no place of refuge where people can feel reassured”.
Sara said Israel had sent a message to the people of the Middle East: “You’re not safe anywhere”.
She also noted the disparity in the value of life between Israelis and Palestinians, saying that this has been reflected in the “abnormal” reaction of the international community: “governments need to react normally, like the people have”.

Martin Linton MP described the Gaza attack as “a captive population pummelled and shot at…completely at the mercy of Israeli troops”.

Martin focused on what he had seen in the West Bank, describing roads that are only for the use of Jewish settlers. He said that there has been a 59 per cent increase in settlements since Condoleezza Rice negotiated a reduction. Martin said “bulldozers are the Israeli weapon in the West Bank”.
Martin saw the graves of 2 students killed by Israel for protesting against the Gaza attack in the village of Na’alin, close to the Israeli border on December the 28th. It turned out that one of the men shot was a friend of one of his LFPME colleagues.
He also noted the number of bulldozers, saying that Israel are “trying to build themselves in to the West Bank permanently…now is the time for maximum pressure from the UK government”.

Michelle Harris pointed out that between 2000 and December 27th 2008, 13 Israelis were killed by rockets. Since 2005, 4920 Gazans have been killed by Israel, 25 per cent of them children.

Michelle said that depriving the people of Gaza of water and medical aid is a war crime. She pointed out that Israel never ended its occupation of the Gaza strip, as it never left its air space or stopped controlling its seas. She noted that while there is constant talk of Hamas not recognising Israel’s right to exist, the reality is that Israel does not recognise the right of Palestinians to exist.
She called on the solidarity movement to convince politicians to stop funding Israel and cease their support of Israel.

Lowkey spoke of his tour of Palestine, describing how it “felt like a human experiment”. He said that Barack Obama is not hearing the voice of the solidarity movement and criticised the complicity of the media and powerful states in “trying to eradicate the word ‘Palestine’”.

Sameh Habeeb, a Gazan journalist, described some of the horrific scenes he had witnessed while reporting the recent Israeli attacks.

Sameh said that his visit to the UK is “the first time I am free”. He said his homeland is a “concentration camp” and that the Israeli attacks were not an attack on Hamas, but “a war against everything” in the Gaza strip.

Sameh said that he had previously worked for the BBC, but said that he would now boycott them because of their conduct during the attacks saying “they have moved away from the ethics of journalism, nature and humanity”.

Martin Linton MP will be speaking at:

Demonstration at the G20 on 1 April

Assemble at the US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London at 2pm
Called by Stop the War, CND, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, British Muslim Initiative
End the siege of Gaza – free Palestine
Stop arming Israel

Gaza Report Back Meeting 11th March
LFPME members Richard Burden MP, Martin Linton MP, Tony Lloyd MP, Andy Slaughter MP and Sara Apps recently visited Gaza with the Britain—Palestine all-Party Parliamentary Group. They are holding a meeting to share their experiences, describing the devastation to homes, infrastructure and lives and the real cost of the Israeli attack. There will then be a question and answer session to discuss what should happen next and what we can all do to promote justice for the Palestinians.

The meeting is on Wednesday 11th March, 7 – 9pm in Committee Room 9, House of Commons and is open to all LFPME members and their guests, no booking needed. Enquiries: labourfriendsofpalestine@gmail.com

Watch the slidewshow from the event here

14th – 20th February 2009
Trip to Gaza and the West Bank

11th February 2009
Meeting with Foreign Secretary David Miliband

27th January 2009
Westminster Hall debate on the Palestinian Territories (economic aid)

13th January 2009
Official Launch of LFPME, House of Commons

17th December 2008
Adjournment Debate with The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Bill Rammell)

10th January 2009
Attended protest march from Hyde Park to the Israeli embassy. LFPME chair Martin Linton MP addresses the protestors.

31st December 2008 – Saturday 3rd January 2009
Attended protests at the Israeli and Egyptian embassies

19th November 2008
Richard Burden MP and Martin Linton MP question Israeli President Shimon Pereson Israeli policy including settlement building

Calendar
Click here to view our diary and upcoming events.