Labour Friends of Israel

Last updated

Labour Friends of Israel
AbbreviationLFI
FormationOctober 1957 (1957-10)
PurposePromotes support for a strong bilateral relationship between Britain and Israel
HeadquartersLondon
Membership
120
Official language
English
Honorary President
 Joan Ryan [1]
Parliamentary Chair
 Steve McCabe
Lay Chair
Adrian Cohen
Director
Jennifer Gerber
Website Official website

Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) is a group in the Parliament of the United Kingdom that advocates a strong bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and Israel, and seeks to strengthen ties between the British Labour Party and the Israeli Labor Party. LFI says it 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. [2] As of July 2020, it comprises around one quarter of the Parliamentary Labour Party and one third of the Shadow Cabinet. [3]

Contents

History

LFI was founded at the 1957 Labour Party Conference. [4] Its membership is 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.

2000–2015

In 2003, LFI described itself as "a Westminster based lobby group working within the British Labour Party to promote the State of Israel". [5] It has been described as "less unquestioning in its support of the Israeli government than the Conservative Friends of Israel". [6] Between 2001 and 2009, LFI sponsored more than 60 MPs to visit Israel, more than any other group. [6]

In 2010, Jennifer Gerber, previously director of Progress and before that, special advisor to Andy Burnham, was appointed director.

In 2011, LFI adopted a new strategy of becoming a wider membership organisation and of operating under the slogan "Working Towards a Two-State Solution".

In 2011, John Woodcock was appointed chair, [7] [8] [9] followed in May 2013 by Dame Anne McGuire and, [10] in 2015, Joan Ryan. [11] [12]

In 2014, Adrian Cohen, a corporate lawyer, the chair of the London Jewish Forum, a trustee of the Jewish Leadership Council and a deputy of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, was appointed Lay Chair. [13] [14]

2016 onwards

With the ascent to the leadership of the Labour Party, in September 2015, of Jeremy Corbyn, who has a history of support for Palestinians, the relationship between the LFI and the party leadership deteriorated.

LFI had been depleted of Parliamentary supporters who had lost their seats at the 2015 general election. In 2016, LFI announced it had trebled its number of Parliamentary supporters, stating that 65 MPs had pledged to back the group, at a time when many MPs rebelled against the leadership of the party. LFI re-branded itself as "Labour Friends of Israel: For Israel, For Palestine, For Peace", created a Young LFI group, and stated it would support the Alliance for Middle East Peace’s international fund. [15] [16]

In early 2017, Al Jazeera released a four-part documentary entitled The Lobby , which investigated aspects of the Israel lobby in the United Kingdom, particularly relating to the Labour Party. [17] 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, including a reference to the availability of £1m from the Israeli government. [18] [19]

In March 2018, supporters of LFI, along with the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council, took part in a protest critical of the Corbyn leadership, stating that antisemitism was present in the Labour Party.

In February 2019, after having lost a vote of no confidence by her local constituency Labour Party, [20] Joan Ryan resigned from the Labour Party to join the recently formed The Independent Group but retained her position as Chair of LFI. She became Honorary President in August 2019 and Dame Louise Ellman succeeded her as Parliamentary Chair. [1] In October 2019, Ellman resigned from the Labour Party. [21] Neither stood for reelection in the 2019 general election. However, despite resigning from the Labour Party, they remained members of LFI. [22]

As of July 2020, around a quarter of the Parliamentary Labour Party and a third of the shadow cabinet were members of the group. [23] In September 2020, Jennifer Gerber stepped down as director and was replaced by Michael Rubin. [3] In September 2020, LFI doubled its number of vice-chairs to 11, with the addition of: Rosie Cooper, Chris Evans, Dame Diana Johnson, Peter Kyle, Conor McGinn and Catherine McKinnell. [24]

The 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. [25] [26] [ citation needed ]

Parliamentary supporters of LFI

As of February 2022, the Officers, sitting MPs, Lords and former members who were supporters of LFI are set out below. [27]

Officers

Labour (unless otherwise stated)

Sitting MPs

Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, David Lammy is a supporter of Labour Friends of Israel Official portrait of Rt Hon David Lammy MP crop 5.jpg
Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, David Lammy is a supporter of Labour Friends of Israel

Labour (unless otherwise stated)

Sitting Lords

Labour (unless otherwise stated)

Former members

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louise Ellman</span> British Labour politician

Dame Louise Joyce Ellman is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Riverside from 1997 to 2019. She is a member of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabian Hamilton</span> British politician

Fabian Uziell-Hamilton is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds North East since 1997. He served as Shadow Minister for Peace and Disarmament, Latin America and the Caribbean from November 2016 to September 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne McGuire</span> Scottish politician

Dame Anne Catherine McGuire is a Scottish Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stirling from 1997 to 2015. She was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland from 2002 to 2005 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Disabled People from 2005 to 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Ryan (politician)</span> British Independent politician

Joan Marie Ryan is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Enfield North from 1997 to 2010 and from 2015 to 2019. She was first elected as a Labour Party MP but later defected to join Change UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenny Tonge, Baroness Tonge</span> British Independent politician, life peer

Jennifer Louise Tonge, Baroness Tonge is a politician in the United Kingdom. She was Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond Park in London from 1997 to 2005. In June 2005 she was made a life peer as Baroness Tonge, of Kew in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, which entitled her to a seat in the House of Lords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Spellar</span> British politician (born 1947)

John Francis Spellar is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Warley, formerly Warley West, since 1992. A member of the Labour Party, he previously represented Birmingham Northfield from 1982 to 1983. He served as a minister in numerous departments between 1997 and 2005 and later served as Comptroller of the Household in the Whips' Office between 2008 and 2010. After Labour entered opposition, he served as a shadow Foreign Office minister from 2010 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meta Ramsay, Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale</span>

Margaret Mildred "Meta" Ramsay, Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale is a Labour Party member of the House of Lords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Hodgson</span> British Labour politician

Sharon Hodgson is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Washington and Sunderland West, previously Gateshead East and Washington West, since 2005. A member of the Labour Party, she has chaired the Finance Committee since 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat McFadden</span> British Labour politician

Patrick Bosco McFadden is a British politician serving as Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office and Labour National Campaign Coordinator since September 2023. He served as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury between 2021 and 2023. A member of the Labour Party, he has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Wolverhampton South East since 2005.

Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) is a British parliamentary group affiliated to the Conservative Party, which is dedicated to strengthening business, cultural and political ties between the United Kingdom and Israel, as well as between the British Conservative Party and the Israeli right-wing Likud party.

Sir David Eardley Garrard is a retired British property developer.

The Israel lobby in the United Kingdom are individuals and groups seeking to influence the foreign policy of the United Kingdom in favour of bilateral ties with Israel, Zionism, Israel, or the policies of the Israeli government. As any lobby, such individuals and groups may seek to influence politicians and political parties, the media, the general public or specific groups or sectors.

The Jewish Labour Movement (JLM), known as Poale Zion (Great Britain) from 1903 to 2004, is one of the oldest socialist societies affiliated to the UK Labour Party. It is a member of the progressive coalition of Avodah/Meretz/Arzenu/Ameinu within the World Zionist Organization. Its sister parties are the Israeli Labor Party (Havodah) and Meretz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luciana Berger</span> British Labour politician

Luciana Clare Berger is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree from 2010 to 2019. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, she was a founding member of The Independent Group, later Change UK, before joining the Liberal Democrats. Berger rejoined Labour in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grahame Morris</span> British Labour politician

Grahame Mark Morris is a British Labour Party politician. He was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Easington, replacing Labour MP John Cummings, who decided to step down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Smeeth</span> British Labour politician

Ruth Lauren Smeeth, Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke-on-Trent North from 2015 until 2019. Since 2022 she has been a member of the House of Lords.

There have been instances of antisemitism within the Labour Party of the United Kingdom (UK) since its establishment. Notable occurrences include canards about "Jewish finance" during the Boer War and antisemitic remarks from leading Labour politician Ernest Bevin. In the 2000s, controversies arose over comments made by Labour politicians regarding an alleged "Jewish lobby", a comparison by London Labour politician Ken Livingstone of a Jewish journalist to a concentration camp guard, and a 2005 Labour attack on Jewish Conservative Party politician Michael Howard.

Labour Against the Witchhunt (LAW) was a group formed in late 2017 to campaign against what it regards as politically motivated allegations of antisemitism in the UK Labour Party, which it calls a “witchhunt”. It also campaigns against what it regards as unfair disciplinary action taken by the Labour Party against its members, particularly in relation to such allegations of antisemitism. The group supports individual members facing disciplinary action and has called for changes to the party's disciplinary procedures and code of conduct.

The Labour Muslim Network is a British campaign group associated with the Labour Party, focused on Muslim matters. Labour MP Afzal Khan is the parliamentary chair for the group. The purpose of the group is to promote Muslim engagement and representation in the Labour Party, conduct political training and development activities, and lead on political campaigns. It is the largest Muslim group of Labour members and supporters.

References

  1. 1 2 Harpin, Lee (7 August 2019). "Dame Louise Ellman becomes new Labour Friends of Israel chair". The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  2. ↑ Oborne, Peter and Jones, James (16 November 2009). "Friends in high places". The Guardian . Retrieved 31 January 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 Judah, Jacob (29 July 2020). "Labour Friends of Israel director to step down in September". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  4. 1 2 Labour Friends of Israel (8 December 2008). "Labour Friends of Israel – 50 Years". Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
  5. ↑ "Labour Friends Of Israel website – about us". 1 August 2003. Archived from the original on 1 August 2003. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
  6. 1 2 Black, Ian (16 November 2009). "Pro-Israel lobby group bankrolling Tories, film claims". The Guardian . Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  7. ↑ Dysch, Marcus (7 September 2010). "New strategy for Labour Friends of Israel". The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  8. ↑ Bright, Martin (13 January 2011). "Israel friends change tack and relaunch". The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  9. ↑ Dysch, Marcus (19 October 2011). "Labour Friends go to Israel". The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  10. 1 2 "Stirling MP Anne McGuire to chair Labour Friends of Israel". The Jewish Chronicle . 9 May 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ Harpin, Lee (7 August 2019). "Dame Louise Ellman becomes new Labour Friends of Israel chair". The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  13. ↑ Rocker, Simon (19 June 2014). "Miliband warms the hearts of the Labour Friends". The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  14. ↑ "Adrian Cohen". Jewish Leadership Council. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  15. ↑ "U.K Labour Party pro-Israel Group Triples Support Ahead of Relaunch". Haaretz. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  16. ↑ Dysch, Marcus (22 September 2016). "MPs flock to support Labour Israel group". The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  17. ↑ "The Lobby". Al Jazeera. January 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  18. ↑ MacAskill, Ewen (8 January 2017). "Israeli diplomat who plotted against MPs also set up political groups". The Guardian . Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  19. ↑ Cohen, Justin (21 March 2017). "Labour dismiss complaint against Joan Ryan MP over Al Jazeera series". Jewish News . Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  20. ↑ "Labour's Joan Ryan and Gavin Shuker lose no-confidence votes". BBC News . 7 September 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  21. ↑ "MP Louise Ellman quits Labour Party". BBC News . 17 October 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  22. 1 2 "LFI Supporters in Parliament". Labour Friends of Israel. 18 October 2019.
  23. ↑ "Labour frontbench MPs join Labour Friends of Israel as new vice-chairs". Labour List. 9 September 2020.
  24. ↑ "Labour Friends of Israel doubles number of vice-chairs to 11". Jewish News . 9 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  25. ↑ "Yigal Allon Educational Trust". Stone Ashdown Trust. Archived from the original on 9 November 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  26. ↑ &subId=0 "Yigal Allon Educational Trust, registered charity no. 327009". Charity Commission for England and Wales.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  27. ↑ "LFI Parliamentary Supporters". Labour Friends of Israel. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  28. ↑ "LFI Parliamentary Supporters". lfi.org.uk. Labour Friends of Israel. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  29. ↑ Symons, Leon; et al. "David Abrahams gave in secret 'to quell conspiracy fears'". The Jewish Chronicle . Archived from the original on 9 December 2007.
  30. ↑ "Who We Are". Labour Friends of Israel. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008.
  31. ↑ Bell, Stuart (30 January 2008). "Sir Stuart Bell MP, Biography". Archived from the original on 30 January 2008.
  32. ↑ Bartlett, David (5 February 2010). "Royle Family star Ricky Tomlinson could run for parliament in Liverpool". Liverpool Echo . Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  33. 1 2 Uni, Assaf (10 December 2007). "Finance scandal has local community worried". Haaretz .
  34. 1 2 Temko, Ned (2 December 2007). "Behind-the-scenes group's unerring knack of backing the right man". The Observer . ISSN   0029-7712.
  35. ↑ 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.
  36. ↑ Wright, Oliver (10 October 2010). "Anger grows within Labour over forced Palestinian vote". The Independent . Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  37. ↑ H. M. Cabinet Office (2003). "Speaker Biographies, Ivan Lewis MP". Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  38. ↑ Dysch, Marcus (25 February 2015). "Labour MP Michael McCann calls for total Hamas ban". The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  39. ↑ Hope, Christopher (9 February 2007). "Jon Mendelsohn profile: a real Mr Fix-It". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  40. ↑ Mulholland, Hélène (3 October 2008). "Government reshuffle: Profile: Jim Murphy". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077.
  41. ↑ Purnell, James (12 December 2002). "Five days in Israel". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077.
  42. ↑ 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.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  43. ↑ Dysch, Marcus (5 July 2011). "Labour Friends of Israel name new chair". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.