Latest news with #peaceprocess
The Independent
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Starmer urged to keep pledge on backing Israel-Gaza peace initiative based on path to Good Friday Agreement
Keir Starmer is being urged to keep to a pledge to support a new international coalition to 'scale up' the peace process in the Middle East as the crisis in Gaza deepens. At a major conference on the conflict last December, the prime minister said he would bring together countries to back the project that is based on an initiative that brought peace in Northern Ireland. Then, in February, Downing Street and the Foreign Office held meetings with figures behind the coalition - The International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace (IFIPP) - which would bring together people on both sides of the conflict for a two-state solution. Now a paper by Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), seen by The Independent, has made the case for the plan again. It comes as the row over the way Israel is controlling aid to Gaza has intensified. The United Nations is demanding an investigation into the deaths of 27 Palestinians shot dead while trying to collect aid at one of the hubs created by Israel. The IFIPP peace project is based on the International Fund for Ireland (IFI), an instrument that helped shape the societal and political conditions leading to the Good Friday Agreement. The prime minister knows about the impact of the IFI having served as human rights adviser to the Northern Ireland Policing Board, which supervises the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), from 2003 to 2007. In the role, he worked to ensure that the PSNI was compliant with its obligations under the 1998 Human Rights Act in the wake of the Good Friday Agreement. IFI began its work in the late 1980s, when Northern Ireland's Troubles were at their worst, but by pooling resources and bringing together peacemakers and young people from both communities they were able to lay the foundation for the agreement in 1999. Now Sir Keir is under pressure to go through with his pledge made at the annual LFI lunch in December to bring together the international community to back the equivalent project aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East. The LFI's new policy paper entitled "Laying the Foundations for a Two-State Solution: An International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace" makes the strategic and financial case for the establishment of a dedicated multilateral fund to support Israeli-Palestinian peacebuilding efforts and calls on the UK government to take a leadership role in its creation. The paper argues that donor states – including the EU, UK and Norway, which contribute around 60-70 percent of non-military aid to those impacted by the conflict – should pool their resources in order to pack more punch for their spending. It states: 'No single donor, especially with shrinking budgets, can alone shift the trajectory of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. 'By pooling their limited resources into a dedicated multilateral fund, such as the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, these states could scale up peacebuilding efforts tenfold without spending more. Such a fund would protect civil society from political volatility, align fragmented donor strategies and finally ensure funding matches the scale of the problem.' On Sir Keir's commitment to host an inaugural meeting of the fund, the paper also calls for the government to use that meeting to announce an initial UK funding commitment, paired with matching pledges or political endorsements from partner governments. 'British leadership will be key to unlocking coordinated international momentum,' it argues. The paper is authored by John Lyndon, executive director of the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP), and features a contribution by Rev Dr Gary Mason, Methodist minister and director of Rethinking Conflict, who draw on lessons from the Northern Ireland peace process. LFI chair Jon Pearce said: "I've met inspiring young Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilders who are working together to build trust across divides even in the darkest times. They are not giving up on the hope of a more peaceful tomorrow, and neither should we. We must stand shoulder to shoulder with them and support their vital work through an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. 'Civic society is stepping in where leaders are failing: creating the conditions for peace, laying foundations for political agreements, and keeping the flame alive when everything else seems impossible. 'The prime minister's commitment at last year's LFI annual lunch to host an inaugural meeting in London was a moment that gave these peacebuilders real hope. Britain has the skills and credibility to lead this effort - and after spending time with the incredible peacebuilding community, I know we must."
The Guardian
a day ago
- General
- The Guardian
I told the truth about the West Bank and was threatened and assaulted. Now I'm relying on you to act
Each of the 22 illegal settlements approved by Israel last week is another nail in the coffin of the peace process, hammered in by the complicity of western governments and corporations. Israeli settlements are not benign civilian neighbourhoods – they are primary instruments of dispossession, control and apartheid. Settlements are closed militarised zones on Palestinians' stolen land, cutting off our access to our resources, our farms, our schools, our jobs and each other. Palestinian lands rapidly shrink, our livelihoods are devastated, our rights are systematically violated and our identity is undermined. Western lawmakers look on, expressing commitment to peace through a two-state solution but choosing to do nothing to achieve this goal. Instead, their policies and inaction enable yet further settlement activity. In the West Bank we live in an obvious two-tier system, yet most lawmakers continue to shun the word 'apartheid' despite Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights organisations concurring on its accuracy and the international court of justice (ICJ) reaffirming it last July. The Settlers, the BBC documentary by Louis Theroux, helped expose this reality, showing me being prevented from even walking on the same streets as Israelis in the neighbourhood of Hebron, where I was born. In response to the documentary, Israeli settlers and soldiers broke into my yard, vandalised it and assaulted me. Soldiers made no arrests but instead threatened to arrest me if I filed a complaint. Then one morning at 4am, young settlers made a bonfire on private Palestinian land outside my home and chanted that they hoped to see me killed. One individual showed up right in front of my house in army fatigues and with a semi-automatic rifle to intimidate me. Settlers then stole my pan-African flag, given to me by Black Lives Matter, and burned it among a pile of Palestinian flags. It is the same story in nearby Masafer Yatta, featured not only in The Settlers but also in the Oscar-winning film No Other Land. Directors Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham called for interventions last week to help stop its destruction, and co-director Hamdan Ballal was detained and beaten in reprisal for its production. The ICJ found Israel responsible for the crime of apartheid, yet western leaders bite their tongues. It found that not only Israel's settlements but also its whole occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip are unlawful, and that the international community is obliged to help dismantle the settlements, evacuate the settlers and end the occupation as quickly as possible. Why are western leaders inert? It seems that western governments would rather undermine the international justice system than hold Israel to account. Even when there are some stronger criticisms of Israel, it continues with its war crimes, as Nesrine Malik wrote last week, regardless. Governments must urgently, as required by the ICJ, take steps to halt trade relations which help sustain the illegal occupation, starting with a ban on all trade with and investment in settlement businesses. Not only individual settlers but also the senior officials responsible for illegal settlements and apartheid must be sanctioned and brought to justice for these war crimes. Not just some but all arms transfers to Israel must be halted. And you, dear reader of conscience, must not only read and watch what is happening but also use your voice and take action. We are relying on you to keep highlighting Gaza and the West Bank, and to hold your parliamentarians, governments and corporations to account. Change your bank or pension fund if it invests in companies involved in the illegal settlements or supplying genocidal and apartheid Israel with arms. Without concrete actions now, we will be erased across the West Bank as well as in Gaza. Forty thousand Palestinian refugees have been expelled from their West Bank homes since January. Twenty Palestinian communities have been expelled from their West Bank lands after attacks from settlers and the occupying army employing bulldozers. Last week the last remaining 30 families of Maghayir al-Deir, near Ramallah, were forced to flee after months of escalating state-backed settler violence. Despite these extraordinarily dark times, I write this with a great sense of hope in my heart inspired by the many people of conscience in the world who stand with us. This is a test for global leadership. Not just of policy, but of principle. We Palestinians need protection and justice now, before it is too late. Issa Amro is a Palestinian human rights defender and co-founder of Youth Against Settlements Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Russia Today
4 days ago
- General
- Russia Today
Moscow questions Macron's commitment to Ukraine peace
French President Emmanuel Macron's statements in support of the Ukraine peace process are not credible, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. In a Telegram post on Friday, Zakharova cited a recent France Info article about a Ukrainian intelligence unit known as the 'International Revenge' tactical group, where foreign fighters, including French nationals, are training for frontline operations. French citizens 'were taken aback by a blunt publication' that the country's soldiers are already 'serving the Kiev regime,' Zakharova wrote. According to the report, the unit includes both civilians and military personnel from France. Some told the outlet they had already been deployed to the front. Zakharova pointed to what she described as the unit's neo-Nazi ideology, saying that its name was no coincidence. 'The group's symbols bear all the hallmarks of neo-Nazi revanchism,' she wrote, citing skull insignias, dark imagery, and the Latin slogan 'Memento Audere Semper' ('Remember to dare always'). The motto is known to have been used by Italian fascist and Mussolini ally Gabriele D'Annunzio in reference to the MAS, or 'Motoscafo Armato Silurante' – a class of fast torpedo boats used by the Italian Royal Navy in both World Wars. 'These French revanchist neo-fascists are not even hiding,' Zakharova added. 'They openly talk about coming from France to fight Russians 'without sparing bullets' and say they hope to one day face Russia in battle.' Zakharova said the revelations cast doubt on Macron's talk of commitment to the peace process. France has provided more than €3.7 billion ($4.1 billion) in military aid to Ukraine since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022, according to the Kiel Institute. Macron has advocated deploying French troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal between Kiev and Moscow, arguing that it could help deter Russia. In March, he announced a French-British plan to prepare such a 'reassurance force' in the event of a ceasefire. The announcement sparked protests in Paris against what demonstrators called NATO's militaristic stance. Moscow has repeatedly warned it will not accept any NATO presence in Ukraine, citing the military bloc's expansion in Europe as a core reason for the conflict. Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Istanbul on May 16 for their first formal talks since 2022. The meeting led to the largest prisoner exchange to date and an agreement to draft written proposals ahead of the next round of talks, which Russia proposed for June 2.
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Russia says no Ukraine response on proposal for more Istanbul talks
Russia says it has yet to receive a response from Ukraine over its proposal to hold another round of ceasefire talks in Istanbul next week, as Turkiye's president urged the warring sides not to 'close the door' to dialogue. Moscow said earlier this week it wanted to hold new talks with Ukraine in the Turkish city to present a memorandum that would outline what it referred to as the key elements for 'overcoming the root causes' of the war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that so far Moscow has not received a reply from Kyiv. When asked to comment on Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha's suggestion that Russia should immediately hand over the memorandum, Peskov dismissed the idea as 'non-constructive'. 'Here, you have to either confirm your readiness to continue negotiations or do the opposite,' Peskov said. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said on Wednesday that Kyiv had already submitted its memorandum on a potential settlement and called on Russia to produce its version immediately, rather than waiting until next week. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Heorhii Tykhyi, said on X on Thursday that Russia's hesitancy to share its plan suggests that it was 'likely filled with unrealistic ultimatums'. 'They are afraid of revealing that they are stalling the peace process,' Tykhyi said. Officials from both sides met in Istanbul on May 16, their first direct talks in more than three years, but the encounter failed to yield a breakthrough. But Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the recent momentum for talks was an opportunity to reach lasting peace. 'The road to a resolution goes through more dialogue, more diplomacy. We are using all our diplomatic power and potential for peace,' he told reporters on Thursady, according to his office. 'During the course of each of our meetings, we have reminded our interlocutors that they should not pass up this opportunity,' Erdogan said, adding that 'extinguishing this huge fire in our region … is a humanitarian duty.' In Ukraine, local authorities said at least five people were killed across the country after Russia fired 90 drones overnight. Russia's Ministry of Defence said its air defences had intercepted 48 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 30 over the Belgorod region. The ministry added in separate comments that its army had captured the village of Stroivka in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region as well as Gnativka and Shevchenko Pershe in the Donetsk region.
Al Arabiya
6 days ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
Russia not sharing memorandum suggests ‘unrealistic ultimatums,' Ukraine says
Russia not sharing a memorandum ahead of a meeting with Ukraine suggests it likely contains unrealistic demands, Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday. 'The Russians' fear of sending their 'memorandum' to Ukraine suggests that it is likely filled with unrealistic ultimatums, and they are afraid of revealing that they are stalling the peace process,' Heorhii Tykhyi wrote on X.
